KÅÑËA
The Supreme Personality of Godhead
A summary Study of Srila Vyasadeva’s Srimad Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto.
His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedänta Swämé Prabhupäda
Founder-Ãcärya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Volume 1
1970 Edition http://www.krishnapath.org/coming_soon
For more free downloadable original books visit
http://www.Krishnapath.org
Table of contents with clickable chapter links:
Preface 9
Introduction 14
1 / Advent of Lord Kåñëa 22
2 / Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kåñëa in the Womb 30
3 / Birth of Lord Kåñëa 43
4 / Kaàsa Begins His Persecutions 51
5 / Meeting of Nanda and Vasudeva 56
6 / Pütanä Killed 62
7 / Salvation of Tåëävarta 69
8 / Vision of the Universal Form 74
9 / Mother Yaçodä Binding Lord Kåñëa 81
10 / Deliverance of Nalaküvara and Maëigréva 84
11 / Killing the Demons Vatsäsura and Bakäsura 90
12 / The Killing of the Aghäsura Demon 96
13 / The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmä 102
14 / Prayers Offered by Lord Brahmä to Lord Kåñëa 111
15 / Killing of Dhenukäsura 127
16 / Subduing Käliya 132
17 / Extinguishing the Forest Fire 140
18 / Killing the Demon Pralambäsura 143
19 / Devouring the Forest Fire 146
20 / Description of Autumn 148
21 / The Gopés Attracted by the Flute 158
22 / Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopé Girls 163
23 / Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who Performed
Sacrifices 168
24 / Worshiping Govardhana Hill 176
25 / Devastating Rainfall in Våndävana 183
26 / Wonderful Kåñëa 187
27 / Prayers by Indra, the King of Heaven 190
28 / Releasing Nanda Mahäräja from the Clutches of Varuëa 194
29 / The Räsa Dance: Introduction 198
30 / Kåñëa’s Hiding from the Gopés 213
31 / Songs by the Gopés 218
33 / Vidyädhara Liberated and the Demon Çaìkhäsura Killed 233
34 / The Gopés’ Feelings of Separation 239
35 / Kaàsa Sends Akrüra for Kåñëa 243
36 / Killing the Keçé Demon and Vyomäsura 247
37 / Akrüra’s Arrival in Våndävana 250
38 / Akrüra’s Return Journey and His Visiting of Viñëuloka Within
the Yamunä River 256
39 / Prayers by Akrüra 262
40 / Kåñëa Enters Mathurä 266
41 / The Breaking of the Bow in the Sacrificial Arena 271
42 / The Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayäpéòa 275
43 / The Killing of Kaàsa 279
44 / Kåñëa Recovers the Son of His Teacher 284
45 / Uddhava Visits Våndävana 293
46 / Delivery of the Message of Kåñëa to the Gopés 300
47 / Kåñëa Pleases His Devotees 316
48 / Ill-motivated Dhåtaräñöra 322
49 / Kåñëa Erects the Dvärakä Fort 327
50 / Deliverance of Mucukunda 336
51 / Kåñëa, the Ranchor 345
53 / Kåñëa Defeats All the Princes and Takes Rukmiëé Home to
Dvärakä 359
54 / Pradyumna Born to Kåñëa and Rukmiëé 367
To My Father, Gour Mohan De (1849-1930)
A pure devotee of Kåñëa, who raised me as a Kåñëa concious child from the
beginning of my life. In my boyhood ages he instructed me how to play the mådanga.
He gave me Rädhä-Kåñëa Vigraha to worship, and he gave me Jagannätha-Ratha to
duly observe the festival as my childhood play. He was kind to me, and I imbibed
from him the ideas later on solidified by my spiritual master, the eternal father.
Everybody is looking for KÅÑËA.
Some don’t realize that they are, but they are.
KÅÑËA is GOD, the source of all that exists, the Cause of all that is, was, or ever
will be.
As GOD is unlimited, HE has many Names.
Allah-Buddha-Jehova-Rama: ALL are KÅÑËA, all are ONE.
God is not abstract; He has both the impersonal and the personal aspects to His
personality, which is SUPREME, ETERNAL, BLISSFUL, and full of
KNOWLEDGE. As a single drop of water has the same qualities as an ocean of
water, so has our consciousness the qualities of GOD’S consciousness … but through
our identification and attachment with material energy (physical body, sense
pleasures, material possessions, ego, etc.) our true TRANSCENDENTAL
CONSCIOUSNESS has been polluted, and like a dirty mirror it is unable to reflect
a pure image.
With many lives our association with the TEMPORARY has grown. This
impermanent body, a bag of bones and flesh, is mistaken for our true self, and we
have accepted this temporay condition to be final.
Through all ages, great SAINTS have remained as living proof that this nontemporary,
permanent state of GOD CONSCIOUSNESS can be revived in all
living Souls. Each soul is potentially divine.
Kåñëa says in Bhagavad Gita: “Steady in the Self, being freed from all material
contamination, the yogi achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in
touch with the Supreme Consciousness.” (VI, 28)
YOGA (a scientific method for GOD (SELF) realization) is the process by which we
purify our consciousness, stop further pollution, and arrive at the state of Perfection,
full KNOWLEDGE, full BLISS.
If there’s a God, I want to see Him. It’s pointless to believe in something without
proof, and Kåñëa Consciousness and meditation are methods where you can actually
obtain GOD perception. You can actually see God, and hear Him, play with Him. It
might sound crazy, but He is actually there, actually with you.
There are many yogic Paths-Raja, Jnana, Hatha, Kriya, Karma, Bhakti-which are all
acclaimed by the MASTERS of each method.
SWAMI BHAKTIVEDANTA is as his title says, a BHAKTI Yogi following the path
of DEVOTION. By serving GOD through each thought, word and DEED, and by
chanting HIS Holy Names, the devotee quickly develops God-consciousness. By
chanting
Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa
Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare
Hare Räma, Hare Räma
Räma Räma, Hare Hare
One inevitable arrives at KÅÑËA Consciousness. (The proof of the pudding is in
the eating!)
I request that you take advantage of this book KÅÑËA, and enter into its
understanding. I also request that you make an appointment to meet your God now,
through the self liberating process of YOGA (UNION) and GIVE PEACE A
CHANCE.
Apple Corps Ltd 3 Savile Row London W1 Gerrard 2771/3993 Telex Apcore London
Preface
nivåtta-tarñair upagéyamänäd
bhavauñadhäc chrotra-mano-’bhirämät
ka uttamaçloka-guëänuvädät
pumän virajyeta vinä paçu-ghnät
(Çrémad-Bhägavatam 10.1.4)
In these Western countries, when someone sees the cover of a book like Kåñëa, he
immediately asks, “Who is Kåñëa? Who is the girl with Kåñëa?” etc.
The immediate answer is that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How is
that? Because He conforms in exact detail to descriptions of the Supreme Being, the
Godhead. In other words, Kåñëa is the Godhead because He is all-attractive. Outside
the principle of all-attraction, there is no meaning to the word “Godhead.” How is it
one can be all-attractive? First of all, if one is very wealthy, if he has great riches, he
becomes attractive to the people in general. Similarly, if someone is very powerful,
he also becomes attractive, and if someone is very famous, he also becomes
attractive, and if someone is very beautiful or wise or unattached to all kinds of
possessions, he also becomes attractive. So from practical experience we can observe
that one is attractive due to (1) wealth, (2) power, (3) fame, (4) beauty, (5) wisdom
and (6) renunciation. One who is in possession of all six of these opulences at the
same time, who possesses them to an unlimited degree, is understood to be the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. These opulences of the Godhead are delineated by
Paräçara Muni, a great Vedic authority.
We have seen many rich persons, many powerful persons, many famous persons,
many beautiful persons, many learned and scholarly persons, and persons in the
renounced order of life unattached to material possessions. But we have never seen
any one person who is unlimitedly and simultaneously wealthy, powerful, famous,
beautiful, wise and unattached, like Kåñëa, in the history of humanity. Kåñëa, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, is an historical person who appeared on this earth
5,000 years ago. He stayed on this earth for 125 years and played exactly like a
human being, but His activities were unparalleled. From the very moment of His
appearance to the moment of His disappearance, every one of His activities is
unparalleled in the history of the world, and therefore anyone who knows what we
mean by Godhead will accept Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one
is equal to the Godhead, and no one is greater than Him. That is the import of the
familiar saying “God is great.”
There are various classes of men in the world who speak of God in different ways,
but according to the Vedic literature and according to the great äcäryas, the
authorized persons versed in the knowledge of God in all ages, like äcäryas Çaìkara,
Rämänuja, Madhva, Viñëu Svämé, Lord Caitanya and all their followers by disciplic
succession, all unanimously agree that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
As far as we, the followers of Vedic civilization, are concerned, we accept the Vedic
history of the whole universe, which consists of different planetary systems, called
Svargaloka, or the higher planetary system, Martyaloka, or the intermediary
planetary system, and Pätälaloka, or the lower planetary system. The modern
historians of this earth cannot supply historical evidences of events that occurred
before 5,000 years ago, and the anthropologists say that 40,000 years ago Homo
sapiens had not appeared on this planet because evolution had not reached that
point. But the Vedic histories, the Puräëas and Mahäbhärata, relate human histories
which extend millions and billions of years into the past.
For example, from these literatures we are given the histories of Kåñëa’s appearances
and disappearances millions and billions of years ago. In the Fourth Chapter of the
Bhagavad-gétä Kåñëa tells Arjuna that both He and Arjuna had had many births
before and that He (Kåñëa) could remember all of them but Arjuna could not. This
illustrates the difference between the knowledge of Kåñëa and that of Arjuna.
Arjuna might have been a very great warrior, a well-cultured member of the Kuru
dynasty, but after all, he was an ordinary human being, whereas Kåñëa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, is the possessor of unlimited knowledge. Because He
possesses unlimited knowledge, Kåñëa has a memory that is boundless.
Kåñëa’s knowledge is so perfect that He remembers all the incidents of His
appearances some millions and billions of years in the past, but Arjuna’s memory and
knowledge are limited by time and space, for he is an ordinary human being. In the
Fourth Chapter Kåñëa states that He can remember instructing the lessons of the
Bhagavad-gétä some millions of years ago to the sun-god, Vivasvän.
Nowadays it is the fashion of the atheistic class of men to try to become God by
following some mystic process. Generally the atheists claim to be God by dint of
their imagination or their meditational prowess. Kåñëa is not that kind of God. He
does not become God by manufacturing some mystic process of meditation, nor does
He become God by undergoing the severe austerities of the mystic yogic exercises.
Properly speaking, He never becomes God because He is the Godhead in all
circumstances.
Within the prison of His maternal uncle Kaàsa, where His father and mother were
confined, Kåñëa appeared outside His mother’s body as the four-handed Viñëu-
Näräyaëa. Then He turned Himself into a baby and told His father to carry Him to
the house of Nanda Mahäräja and his wife Yaçodä. When Kåñëa was just a small
baby the gigantic demoness Pütanä attempted to kill Him, but when He sucked her
breast He pulled out her life. That is the difference between the real Godhead and a
God manufactured in the mystic factory. Kåñëa had no chance to practice the mystic
yoga process, yet He manifested Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead at
every step, from infancy to childhood, from childhood to boyhood, and from
boyhood to young manhood. In this book, Kåñëa, all of His activities as a human
being are described. Although Kåñëa plays like a human being, He always maintains
His identity as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Since Kåñëa is all-attractive, one should know that all his desires should be focused
on Kåñëa. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is said that the individual person is the proprietor
or master of his own body but that Kåñëa, who is the Supersoul present in everyone’s
heart, is the supreme proprietor and supreme master of each and every individual
body. As such, if we concentrate our loving propensities upon Kåñëa only, then
immediately universal love, unity and tranquillity will be automatically realized.
When one waters the root of a tree, he automatically waters the branches, twigs,
leaves and flowers; when one supplies food to the stomach through the mouth, he
satisfies all the various parts of the body.
The art of focusing one’s attention on the Supreme and giving one’s love to Him is
called Kåñëa consciousness. We have inaugurated the Kåñëa consciousness
movement so that everyone can satisfy his propensity for loving others simply by
directing his love toward Kåñëa. The whole world is very much anxious to satisfy the
dormant propensity of love for others, but the inventions of various methods like
socialism, communism, altruism, humanitarianism, nationalism, and whatever else
may be manufactured for the peace and prosperity of the world, are all useless and
frustrating because of our gross ignorance of the art of loving Kåñëa. Generally
people think that by advancing the cause of moral principles and religious rites they
will be happy. Others may think that happiness can be achieved by economic
development, and yet others think that simply by sense gratification they will be
happy. But the real fact is that people can only be happy by loving Kåñëa.
Kåñëa can perfectly reciprocate one’s loving propensities in different relationships
called mellows, or rasas. Basically there are twelve loving relationships. One can love
Kåñëa as the supreme unknown, as the supreme master, the supreme friend, the
supreme child, the supreme lover. These are the five basic love rasas. One can also
love Kåñëa indirectly in seven different relationships, which are apparently different
from the five primary relationships. All in all, however, if one simply reposes his
dormant loving propensity in Kåñëa, then his life becomes successful. This is not a
fiction but is a fact that can be realized by practical application. One can directly
perceive the effects that love for Kåñëa has on his life.
In the Ninth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä this science of Kåñëa consciousness is
called the king of all knowledge, the king of all confidential things, and the supreme
science of transcendental realization. Yet we can directly experience the results of
this science of Kåñëa consciousness because it is very easy to practice and is very
pleasurable. Whatever percentage of Kåñëa consciousness we can perform will
become an eternal asset to our life, for it is imperishable in all circumstances. It has
now been actually proved that today’s confused and frustrated younger generation in
the Western countries can directly perceive the results of channeling the loving
propensity toward Kåñëa alone.
It is said that although one executes severe austerities, penances and sacrifices in his
life, if he fails to awaken his dormant love for Kåñëa, then all his penances are to be
considered useless. On the other hand, if one has awakened his dormant love for
Kåñëa, then what is the use in executing austerities and penances unnecessarily?
The Kåñëa consciousness movement is the unique gift of Lord Caitanya to the fallen
souls of this age. It is a very simple method which has actually been carried out
during the last four years in the Western countries, and there is no doubt that this
movement can satisfy the dormant loving propensities of humanity. This book,
Kåñëa, is another presentation to help the Kåñëa consciousness movement in the
Western world. This transcendental literature is published in two parts with profuse
illustrations. People love to read various kinds of fiction to spend their time and
energy. Now this tendency can be directed to Kåñëa. The result will be the
imperishable satisfaction of the soul, both individually and collectively.
It is said in the Bhagavad-gétä that even a little effort expended on the path of Kåñëa
consciousness can save one from the greatest danger. Hundreds of thousands of
examples can be cited of people who have escaped the greatest dangers of life due to
a slight advancement in Kåñëa consciousness. We therefore request everyone to take
advantage of this great transcendental literature. One will find that by reading one
page after another, an immense treasure of knowledge in art, science, literature,
philosophy and religion will be revealed, and ultimately, by reading this one book,
Kåñëa, love of Godhead will fructify.
My grateful acknowledgement is due to Çrémän George Harrison, now chanting
Hare Kåñëa, for his liberal contribution of $19,000 to meet the entire cost of printing
this volume. May Kåñëa bestow upon this nice boy further advancement in Kåñëa
consciousness.
And at last my ever-willing blessings are bestowed upon Çrémän Çyämasundara däsa
Adhikäré, Çrémän Brahmänanda däsa Brahmacäré, Çrémän Hayagréva däsa Adhikäré,
Çrémän Satsvarüpa däsa Adhikäré, Çrématé Devahüti-devé däsé, Çrématé Jaduräëé-devé
däsé, Çrémän Muralédhara däsa Brahmacäré, Çrémän Bhäradväja däsa Adhikäré and
Çrémän Pradyumna däsa Adhikäré, etc., for their hard labor in different ways to
make this publication a great success.
Hare Kåñëa.
Advent Day of
Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté
February 26th, 1970
ISKCON Headquarters
3764 Watseka Avenue
Los Angeles, California
Introduction
Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! he
Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! he
Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! rakña mäm
Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! Kåñëa! pähi mäm
Räma! Räghava! Räma! Räghava! Räma! Räghava! rakña mäm
Kåñëa! Keçava! Kåñëa! Keçava! Kåñëa! Keçava! pähi mäm
Caitanya-caritämåta (Madhya 7.96)
While attempting to write this book, Kåñëa, let me first offer my respectful
obeisances unto my spiritual master, Om Viñëupäda 108 Çré Çrémad Bhaktisiddhänta
Sarasvaté Gosvämé Mahäräja Prabhupäda. Then let me offer my respectful
obeisances to the ocean of mercy, Lord Çré Kåñëa Caitanya Mahäprabhu. He is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa Himself, appearing in the role of a devotee
just to distribute the highest principles of devotional service. Lord Caitanya began
His preaching from the country known as Gauòadeça (West Bengal). And as I
belong to the Mädhva-Gauòéya-sampradäya, I must therefore offer my respectful
obeisances to our disciplic succession. This Mädhva-Gauòéya-sampradäya is also
known as Brahma-sampradäya because the disciplic succession originally began from
Brahmä. Brahmä instructed the sage Närada, Närada instructed Vyäsadeva, and
Vyäsadeva instructed Madhva Muni or Madhväcärya. Mädhavendra Puré, the
originator of the Mädhva-Gauòéya-sampradäya, belonged to the Madhväcärya
disciplic succession; he had many renowned disciples both in the sannyäsa
(renounced) and household orders of life, disciples such as Nityänanda Prabhu,
Advaita Prabhu and Éçvara Puré. Éçvara Puré happened to be the spiritual master of
Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu. So let us offer our respectful obeisances to Éçvara Puré,
Nityänanda Prabhu, Çré Advaita Äcärya Prabhu, Çréväsa Paëòit and Çré Gadädhara
Paëòit. Next, let us offer our respectful obeisances to Svarüpa-Dämodara, who acted
as the private secretary to Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu; and let us offer our respectful
obeisances to Çré Väsudeva Datta and the constant attendant of Lord Caitanya, Çré
Govinda, and the constant friend of Lord Caitanya, Mukunda, and also to Muräri
Gupta. And let us offer our respectful obeisances to the six Gosvämés of Våndävana,
Çré Rüpa Gosvämé, Çré Sanätana Gosvämé, Çré Raghunätha Bhaööa Gosvämé, Çré
Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé, Çré Jéva Gosvämé and Çré Raghunätha Däsa Gosvämé.
Kåñëa Himself has explained in the Bhagavad-gétä that He is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Whenever there are discrepancies in the regulative
principles of man’s religious life and a prominence of irreligious activities, He
appears on this earthly planet. In other words, when Lord Çré Kåñëa appeared, there
was a necessity of minimizing the load of sinful activities accumulated on this planet,
or in this universe. For affairs of the material creation, Lord Mahä-Viñëu, the
plenary portion of Kåñëa, is in charge.
When the Lord descends, the incarnation emanates from Viñëu. Mahä-Viñëu is the
original cause of material creation, and from Him Garbhodakaçäyi-Viñëu expands,
and then Kñérodakaçäyé-Viñëu. Generally, all the incarnations appearing within this
material universe are plenary expansions from Kñérodakaçäyi-Viñëu. Therefore, the
business of minimizing the overload of sinful activities on this earth does not belong
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa Himself. But when Kåñëa appears, all
the Viñëu expansions also join with Him. Kåñëa’s different expansions, namely
Näräyaëa, the quadruple expansion of Väsudeva, Saìkarñaëa, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha, as well as the partial plenary expansion of Matsya or the incarnation of
fish, and other yuga-avatäras (incarnations for the millennium), and the
manvantara-avatäras, the incarnations of Manus—all combine together and appear
with the body of Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kåñëa is the complete
whole, and all plenary expansions and incarnations always live with Him.
When Kåñëa appeared, Lord Viñëu was also with Him. Kåñëa actually appears to
demonstrate His Våndävana pastimes and to attract the fortunate conditioned souls
and invite them back home, back to Godhead. The killing of the demons was
simultaneous to His Våndävana activities and was carried out only by the Viñëu
portion of Kåñëa.
In the Bhagavad-gétä, Eighth Chapter, 20th verse, it is stated that there is another
eternal nature, the spiritual sky, which is transcendental to this manifested and
nonmanifested matter. The manifested world can be seen in the form of many stars
and planetary systems, such as the sun, moon, etc., but beyond this there is a
nonmanifested portion which is not approachable to anyone in this body. And
beyond that nonmanifested matter there is the spiritual kingdom. That kingdom is
described in the Bhagavad-gétä as supreme and eternal. It is never annihilated. This
material nature is subjected to repeated creation and annihilation. But that part, the
spiritual nature, remains as it is, eternally.
The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, is also described in the
Brahmä-saàhitä as the abode of cintämaëi. That abode of Lord Kåñëa known as
Goloka Våndävana is full of palaces made of touchstone. There the trees are called
desire trees, and the cows are called surabhi. The Lord is served there by hundreds
and thousands of goddesses of fortune. His name is Govinda, the Primeval Lord, and
He is the cause of all causes. There the Lord plays His flute, His eyes are like lotus
petals, and the color of His body is like that of a beautiful cloud. On His head is a
peacock feather. He is so attractive that He excels thousands of Cupids. Lord Kåñëa
gives only a little hint in the Gétä of His personal abode which is the supermost
planet in the spiritual kingdom. But in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Kåñëa actually
appears with all His paraphernalia and demonstrates His activities in Våndävana,
then at Mathurä, and then at Dvärakä. The subject matter of this book will gradually
reveal all these activities.
The family in which Kåñëa appeared is called the Yadu dynasty. This Yadu dynasty
belongs to the family descending from Soma, the god in the moon planet. There are
two different kñatriya families of the royal order, one descending from the king of
the moon planet and the other descending from the king of the sun planet.
Whenever the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, He generally appears in a
kñatriya family because He has to establish religious principles or the life of
righteousness. The kñatriya family is the protector of the human race, according to
the Vedic system. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Lord
Rämacandra, He appeared in the family descending from the sun-god, known as
Raghu-vaàça; and when He appeared as Lord Kåñëa, He did so in the family of
Yadu-vaàça. There is a long list of the kings of the Yadu-vaàça in the Ninth Canto,
24th Chapter, of Çrémad-Bhägavatam. All of them were great powerful kings. Kåñëa’s
father’s name was Vasudeva, son of Çürasena, descending from the Yadu dynasty.
Actually, the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not belong to any dynasty of
this material world, but the family in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead
appears becomes famous, by His grace. For example, sandalwood is produced in the
states of Malaya. Sandalwood has its own qualifications apart from Malaya, but
because, accidentally, this wood is mainly produced in the states of Malaya, it is
known as Malayan sandalwood. Similarly, Kåñëa the Supreme Personality of
Godhead belongs to everyone, but just as the sun rises from the east, although there
are other directions from which it could rise, so, by His own choice, the Lord appears
in a particular family, and that family becomes famous.
When Kåñëa appears, all His plenary expansions also appear with Him. Kåñëa
appeared along with Balaräma (Baladeva), who is known as His elder brother.
Balaräma is the origin of Saìkarñaëa, of the quadruple expansion. Balaräma is also
the plenary expansion of Kåñëa. In this book, the attempt will be made to show how
Kåñëa appeared in the family of the Yadu dynasty and how He displayed His
transcendental characteristics. This is very vividly described in the ÇrémadBhägavatam—
specifically, the Tenth Canto—and the basis of this book will be
Çrémad-Bhägavatam.
The pastimes of the Lord are generally heard and relished by liberated souls. Those
who are conditioned souls are interested in reading fictional stories of the material
activities of some common man. Narrations describing the transcendental activities
of the Lord are found in Çrémad-Bhägavatam and other Puräëas. But, the
conditioned souls still prefer to study ordinary narrations. They are not so interested
in studying the narrations of the pastimes of the Lord, Kåñëa. And yet, the
descriptions of the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa are so attractive that they are relishable
for all classes of men. There are three classes of men in this world. One class consists
of liberated souls, another consists of those who are trying to be liberated, and the
third consists of materialistic men. Whether one is liberated or is trying to be
liberated, or is even grossly materialistic, the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa are worth
studying.
Liberated souls have no interest in materialistic activities. The impersonalist theory
that after liberation one becomes inactive and needs hear nothing does not prove
that a liberated person is actually inactive. A living soul cannot be inactive. He is
either active in the conditioned state or in the liberated state. A diseased person, for
example, is also active, but his activities are all painful. The same person, when freed
from the diseased condition, is still active, but in the healthy condition the activities
are full of pleasure. Similarly, the impersonalists manage to get freed from the
diseased conditional activities, but they have no information of activities in the
healthy condition. Those who are actually liberated and in full knowledge take to
hearing the activities of Kåñëa; such engagement is pure spiritual activity.
It is essential for persons who are actually liberated to hear about the pastimes of
Kåñëa. That is the supreme relishable subject matter for one in the liberated state.
Also, if persons who are trying to be liberated hear such narrations as Bhagavad-gétä
and Çrémad-Bhägavatam, then their path of liberation becomes very clear.
Bhagavad-gétä is the preliminary study of Çrémad-Bhägavatam. By studying the Gétä,
one becomes fully conscious of the position of Lord Kåñëa; and when he is situated at
the lotus feet of Kåñëa, he understands the narrations of Kåñëa as described in the
Çrémad-Bhägavatam. Lord Caitanya has therefore advised His followers that their
business is to propagate Kåñëa-kathä.
Kåñëa-kathä means narrations about Kåñëa. There are two Kåñëa-kathäs: narrations
spoken by Kåñëa and narrations spoken about Kåñëa. Bhagavad-gétä is the narration
or the philosophy or the science of God, spoken by Kåñëa Himself. Çrémad-
Bhägavatam is the narration about the activities and transcendental pastimes of
Kåñëa. Both are Kåñëa-kathä. It is the order of Lord Caitanya that Kåñëa-kathä
should be spread all over the world, because if the conditioned souls, suffering under
the pangs of material existence, take to Kåñëa-kathä, then their path of liberation
will be open and clear. The purpose of presenting this book is primarily to induce
people to understand Kåñëa or Kåñëa-kathä, because thereby they can become freed
from material bondage.
This Kåñëa-kathä will also be very much appealing to the most materialistic persons
because Kåñëa’s pastimes with the gopés (cowherd girls) are exactly like the loving
affairs between young girls and boys within this material world. Actually, the sex
feeling found in human society is not unnatural because this same sex feeling is
there in the original Personality of Godhead. The pleasure potency is called Çrématé
Rädhäräëé. The attraction of loving affairs on the basis of sex feeling is the original
feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we, the conditioned souls, being
part and parcel of the Supreme, have such feelings also, but they are experienced
within a perverted, minute condition. Therefore, when those who are after sex life
in this material world hear about Kåñëa’s pastimes with the gopés, they will relish
transcendental pleasure, although it appears to be materialistic. The advantage will
be that they will gradually be elevated to the spiritual platform. In the Bhägavatam it
is stated that if one hears the pastimes of Lord Kåñëa with the gopés from authorities
with submission, then he will be promoted to the platform of transcendental loving
service to the Lord, and the material disease of lust within his heart will be
completely vanquished. In other words, it will counteract the material sex life.
Kåñëa will be appealing to the liberated souls and to persons who are trying to be
liberated, as well as to the gross, conditioned materialist. According to the statement
of Mahäräja Parékñit, who heard about Kåñëa from Çukadeva Gosvämé, Kåñëa-kathä
is equally applicable to every human being, in whatever condition of life he is in.
Everyone will appreciate it to the highest magnitude. But Mahäräja Parékñit also
warned that persons who are simply engaged in killing animals and in killing
themselves may not be very much attracted to Kåñëa-kathä. In other words, ordinary
persons who are following the regulative moral principles of scriptures, no matter in
what condition they are found, will certainly be attracted, but not persons who are
killing themselves. The exact word used in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam is paçughna,
which means killing animals or killing oneself. Persons who are not self-realized and
who are not interested in spiritual realization are killing themselves; they are
committing suicide. Because this human form of life is especially meant for selfrealization,
by neglecting this important part of his activities, one simply wastes his
time like the animals. So he is paçughna. The other meaning of the word refers to
those who are actually killing animals. This means persons who are animal eaters
(even dog eaters), and they are all engaged in killing animals in so many ways, such
as hunting, opening slaughterhouses, etc. Such persons cannot be interested in
Kåñëa-kathä.
King Parékñit was especially interested in hearing Kåñëa-kathä because he knew that
his forefathers and particularly his grandfather, Arjuna, were victorious in the great
battle of Kurukñetra only because of Kåñëa. We may also take this material world as a
battlefield of Kurukñetra. Everyone is struggling hard for existence in this battlefield,
and at every step there is danger. According to Mahäräja Parékñit, the battlefield of
Kurukñetra was just like a vast ocean full of dangerous animals. His grandfather
Arjuna had to fight with such great heroes as Bhéñma, Droëa, Karëa, and many
others who were not ordinary fighters. Such warriors have been compared to the
timiìgila fish in the ocean. The timiìgila fish can very easily swallow up big whales.
The great fighters on the battlefield of Kurukñetra could swallow many, many
Arjunas very easily, but simply due to Kåñëa’s mercy, Arjuna was able to kill all of
them. Just as one can cross with no exertion over the little pit of water contained in
the hoofprint of a calf, so Arjuna, by the grace of Kåñëa, was able to very easily jump
over the ocean of the battle of Kurukñetra.
Mahäräja Parékñit very much appreciated Kåñëa’s activities for many other reasons.
Not only was his grandfather saved by Kåñëa, but he himself also was saved by Kåñëa.
At the end of the battle of Kurukñetra, all the members of the Kuru dynasty, both
the sons and grandsons on the side of Dhåtaräñöra, as well as those on the side of the
Päëòavas, died in the fighting. Except the five Päëòava brothers, everyone died on
the battlefield of Kurukñetra. Mahäräja Parékñit was at that time within the womb of
his mother. His father, Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, also died on the battlefield of
Kurukñetra, and so Mahäräja Parékñit was a posthumous child. When he was in the
womb of his mother, a brahmästra weapon was released by Açvatthämä to kill the
child. When Parékñit Mahäräja’s mother, Uttarä, approached Kåñëa, Kåñëa, seeing
the danger of abortion, entered her womb as the Supersoul and saved Mahäräja
Parékñit. Mahäräja Parékñit’s other name is Viñëuräta because he was saved by Lord
Viñëu Himself while still within the womb.
Thus everyone, in any condition of life, should be interested in hearing about Kåñëa
and His activities because He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of
Godhead. He is all-pervading; He is living within everyone’s heart, and He is living
as His universal form. And yet, as described in the Bhagavad-gétä, He appears as He
is in the human society just to invite everyone to His transcendental abode, back to
home, back to Godhead. Everyone should be interested in knowing about Kåñëa, and
this book is presented with this purpose: that people may know about Kåñëa and be
perfectly benefited in this human form of life.
In the Ninth Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Çré Baladeva is described as the son of
Rohiëé, a wife of Vasudeva. Vasudeva, the father of Kåñëa, had sixteen wives, and
one of them was Rohiëé, the mother of Balaräma. But Balaräma is also described as
the son of Devaké, so how could He be the son of both Devaké and Rohiëé? This was
one of the questions put by Mahäräja Parékñit to Çukadeva Gosvämé, and it will be
answered in due course. Mahäräja Parékñit also asked Çukadeva Gosvämé why Çré
Kåñëa, just after His appearance as the son of Vasudeva, was immediately carried to
the house of Nanda Mahäräja in Våndävana, Gokula. He also wanted to know what
the activities of Lord Kåñëa were while He was in Våndävana and while He was in
Mathurä. Besides that, he was especially inquisitive to know why Kåñëa killed His
maternal uncle, Kaàsa. Kaàsa, being the brother of His mother, was a very intimate
superior to Kåñëa, so how was it that He killed Kaàsa? Also, he asked how many
years Lord Kåñëa remained in human society, how many years He reigned over the
kingdom of Dvärakä, and how many wives He accepted there. A kñatriya king is
generally accustomed to accept more than one wife; therefore Mahäräja Parékñit also
inquired about His number of wives. The subject matter of this book is Çukadeva
Gosvämé’s answering of these and other questions asked by Mahäräja Parékñit.
The position of Mahäräja Parékñit and Çukadeva Gosvämé is unique. Mahäräja
Parékñit is the right person to hear about the transcendental pastimes of Kåñëa, and
Çukadeva Gosvämé is the right person to describe them. If such a fortunate
combination is made possible, then Kåñëa-kathä immediately becomes revealed, and
people may benefit to the highest possible degree from such a conversation.
This narration was presented by Çukadeva Gosvämé when Mahäräja Parékñit was
prepared to give up his body, fasting on the bank of the Ganges. In order to assure
Çukadeva Gosvämé that by hearing Kåñëa-kathä he would not feel tired, Mahäräja
Parékñit expressed himself very frankly: “Hunger and thirst may give trouble to
ordinary persons or to me, but the topics of Kåñëa are so nice that one can continue
to hear about them without feeling tired because such hearing situates one in the
transcendental position.” It is understood that one must be very fortunate to hear
about Kåñëa-kathä seriously, like Mahäräja Parékñit. He was especially intent on the
subject matter because he was expecting death at any moment. Every one of us
should be conscious of death at every moment. This life is not at all assured; at any
time one can die. It does not matter whether one is a young man or an old man. So
before death takes place, we must be fully Kåñëa conscious.
At the point of his death, King Parékñit was hearing Çrémad-Bhägavatam from
Çukadeva Gosvämé. When King Parékñit expressed his untiring desire to hear about
Kåñëa, Çukadeva Gosvämé was very pleased. Çukadeva was the greatest of all
Bhägavata reciters, and thus he began to speak about Kåñëa’s pastimes, which destroy
all inauspiciousness in this age of Kali. Çukadeva Gosvämé thanked the King for his
eagerness to hear about Kåñëa, and he encouraged him by saying, “My dear King,
your intelligence is very keen because you are so eager to hear about the pastimes of
Kåñëa.” He informed Mahäräja Parékñit that hearing and chanting of the pastimes of
Kåñëa are so auspicious that the processes purifies the three varieties of men
involved: he who recites the transcendental topics of Kåñëa, he who hears such
topics, and he who inquires about Him. These pastimes are just like the Ganges
water which flows from the toe of Lord Viñëu: they purify the three worlds, the
upper, middle and lower planetary systems.
1 / Advent of Lord Kåñëa
Once the world was overburdened by the unnecessary defense force of different
kings, who were actually demons, but were posing themselves as the royal order. At
that time, the whole world became perturbed, and the predominating deity of this
earth, known as Bhümi, went to see Lord Brahmä to tell of her calamities due to the
demoniac kings. Bhümi assumed the shape of a cow and presented herself before
Lord Brahmä with tears in her eyes. She was bereaved and was weeping just to
invoke the Lord’s compassion. She related the calamitous position of the earth, and
after hearing this, Lord Brahmä became much aggrieved, and he at once started for
the ocean of milk, where Lord Viñëu resides. Lord Brahmä was accompanied by all
the demigods headed by Lord Çiva, and Bhümi also followed. Arriving on the shore
of the milk ocean, Lord Brahmä began to pacify the Lord Viñëu who formerly saved
the earthly planet by assuming the transcendental form of a boar.
In the Vedic mantras, there is a particular type of prayer called Puruña-sükta.
Generally, the demigods offer their obeisances unto Viñëu, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, by chanting the Puruña-sükta. It is understood herein that the
predominating deity of every planet can see the supreme lord of this universe,
Brahmä, whenever there is some disturbance in his planet. And Brahmä can
approach the Supreme Lord Viñëu, not by seeing Him directly, but by standing on
the shore of the ocean of milk. There is a planet within this universe called
Çvetadvépa, and on that planet there is an ocean of milk. It is understood from
various Vedic literatures that just as there is the ocean of salt water within this
planet, there are various kinds of oceans in other planets. Somewhere there is an
ocean of milk, somewhere there is an ocean of oil, and somewhere there is an ocean
of liquor and many other types of oceans. Puruña-sükta is the standard prayer which
the demigods recite to appease the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kñérodakaçäyé-
Viñëu. Because He is lying on the ocean of milk, He is called Kñérodakaçäyé-Viñëu.
He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through whom all the incarnations
within this universe appear.
After all the demigods offered the Puruña-sükta prayer to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, they apparently heard no response. Then Lord Brahmä personally sat in
meditation, and there was a message-transmission from Lord Viñëu to Brahmä.
Brahmä then broadcast the message to the demigods. That is the system of receiving
Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is received first by Brahmä from the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, through the medium of the heart. As stated in the
beginning of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, tene brahma hådä: the transcendental knowledge
of the Vedas was transmitted to Lord Brahmä through the heart. Here also, in the
same way, only Brahmä could understand the message transmitted by Lord Viñëu,
and he broadcast it to the demigods for their immediate action. The message was: the
Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth very soon along with His
supreme powerful potencies, and as long as He remains on the earth planet to
execute His mission of annihilating the demons and establishing the devotees, the
demigods should also remain there to assist Him. They should all immediately take
birth in the family of the Yadu dynasty, wherein the Lord will also appear in due
course of time.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, Kåñëa, personally appeared as the son
of Vasudeva. Before He appeared, all the demigods, along with their wives, appeared
in different pious families in the world just to assist the Lord in executing His
mission. The exact word used here is tatpriyärtham, which means the demigods
should appear on the earth in order to please the Lord. In other words, any living
entity who lives only to satisfy the Lord is a demigod. The demigods were further
informed that the plenary portion of Lord Kåñëa, Ananta, who is maintaining the
universal planets by extending His millions of hoods, would also appear on earth
before Lord Kåñëa’s appearance. They were also informed that the external potency
of Viñëu (mäyä), with whom all the conditioned souls are enamored, would also
appear just to execute the purpose of the Supreme Lord.
After instructing and pacifying all the demigods, as well as Bhümi, with sweet words,
Lord Brahmä, the father of all prajäpatis, or progenitors of universal population,
departed for his own abode, the highest material planet, called Brahmaloka.
The leader of the Yadu dynasty, King Çürasena, was ruling over the country known
as Mathurä (the district of Mathurä), as well as the district known as Çürasena. On
account of the rule of King Çürasena, Mathurä became the capital city of all the
kings of the Yadus. Mathurä was also made the capital of the kings of the Yadu
dynasty because the Yadus were a very pious family and knew that Mathurä is the
place where Lord Çré Kåñëa lives eternally, just as He also lives in Dvärakä.
Once upon a time, Vasudeva, the son of Çürasena, just after marrying Devaké, was
going home on his chariot with his newly wedded wife. The father of Devaké, known
as Devaka, had contributed a sufficient dowry because he was very affectionate
toward his daughter. He had contributed hundreds of chariots completely decorated
with gold equipment. At that time, Kaàsa, the son of Ugrasena, in order to please
his sister, Devaké, had voluntarily taken the reins of the horses of Vasudeva’s chariot
and was driving. According to the custom of the Vedic civilization, when a girl is
married, the brother takes the sister and brother-in-law to their home. Because the
newly married girl may feel too much separation from her father’s family, the
brother goes with her until she reaches her father-in-law’s house. The full dowry
contributed by Devaka was as follows: 400 elephants fully decorated with golden
garlands, 15,000 decorated horses, and 1800 chariots. He also arranged for two
hundred beautiful girls to follow his daughter. The kñatriya system of marriage, still
current in India, dictates that when a kñatriya is married, a few dozen of the bride’s
young girlfriends (in addition to the bride) go to the house of the king. The followers
of the queen are called maidservants, but actually they act as friends of the queen.
This practice is prevalent from time immemorial, traceable at least to the time before
the advent of Lord Kåñëa 5,000 years ago. So Vasudeva brought home another two
hundred beautiful girls along with his wife.
While the bride and bridegroom were passing along on the chariot, there were
different kinds of musical instruments playing to indicate the auspicious moment.
There were conchshells, bugles, drums and kettledrums; combined together, they
were vibrating a nice concert. The procession was passing very pleasingly, and
Kaàsa was driving the chariot, when suddenly there was a miraculous sound
vibrated from the sky which especially announced to Kaàsa: “Kaàsa: you are such a
fool. You are driving the chariot of your sister and your brother-in-law, but you do
not know that the eighth child of this sister will kill you.”
Kaàsa was the son of Ugrasena, of the Bhoja dynasty. It is said that Kaàsa was the
most demonic of all the Bhoja dynasty kings. Immediately after hearing the prophecy
from the sky, he caught hold of Devaké’s hair and was just about to kill her with his
sword. Vasudeva was astonished at Kaàsa’s behavior, and in order to pacify the
cruel, shameless brother-in-law, he began to speak as follows, with great reason and
evidence. He said, “My dear brother-in-law Kaàsa, you are the most famous king of
the Bhoja dynasty, and people know that you are the greatest warrior and a valiant
king. How is it that you are so infuriated that you are prepared to kill a woman who
is your own sister at this auspicious time of her marriage? Why should you be so
much afraid of death? Death is already born along with your birth. From the very
day you took your birth, you began to die. Suppose you are twenty-five years old; that
means you have already died twenty-five years. Every moment, every second, you are
dying. Why then should you be so much afraid of death? Final death is inevitable.
You may die either today or in a hundred years; you cannot avoid death. Why should
you be so much afraid? Actually, death means annihilation of the present body. As
soon as the present body stops functioning and mixes with the five elements of
material nature, the living entity within the body accepts another body, according to
his present action and reaction. It is just as when a man walks on the street; he puts
forward his foot, and when he is confident that his foot is situated on sound ground,
he lifts the other foot. In this way, one after another, the body changes and the soul
transmigrates. See how the plantworms change from one twig to another so
carefully! Similarly, the living entity changes his body as soon as the higher
authorities decide on his next body. As long as a living entity is conditioned within
this material world, he must take material bodies one after another. His next
particular body is offered by the laws of nature, according to the actions and
reactions of this life.
“This body is exactly like one of the bodies which we always see in dreams. During
our dream of sleep, we create so many bodies according to mental creation. We have
seen gold and we have also seen a mountain, so in a dream we can see a golden
mountain by combining the two ideas. Sometimes in dreams, we see that we have a
body which is flying in the sky, and at that time we completely forget our present
body. Similarly, these bodies are changing. When you have one body, you forget the
past body. During a dream, we may make contact with so many new kinds of bodies,
but when we are awake we forget them all. And actually these material bodies are
the creations of our mental activities. But at the present moment we do not recollect
our past bodies.
“The nature of the mind is flickering. Sometimes it accepts something, and
immediately it rejects the same thing. Accepting and rejecting is the process of the
mind in contact with the five objects of sense gratification: form, taste, smell, sound,
and touch. In its speculative way, the mind comes in touch with the objects of sense
gratification, and when the living entity desires a particular type of body, he gets it.
Therefore, the body is an offering by the laws of material nature. The living entity
accepts a body and comes out again into the material world to enjoy or suffer
according to the construction of the body. Unless we have a particular type of body,
we cannot enjoy or suffer according to our mental proclivities inherited from the
previous life. The particular type of body is actually offered to us according to our
mental condition at the time of death.
“The luminous planets like the sun, moon or the stars reflect themselves in different
types of reservoirs, like water, oil or ghee. The reflection moves according to the
movement of the reservoir. The reflection of the moon is on the water, and the
moving water makes the moon also appear to be moving, but actually the moon is
not moving. Similarly, by mental concoction, the living entity attains different kinds
of bodies, although actually he has no connection with such bodies. But on account
of illusion, being enchanted by the influence of mäyä, the living entity thinks that
he belongs to a particular type of body. That is the way of conditioned life. Suppose a
living entity is now in a human form of body. He thinks that he belongs to the
human community, or a particular country or particular place. He identifies himself
in that way and unnecessarily prepares for another body which is not required by
him. Such desires and mental concoctions are the cause of different types of body.
The covering influence of material nature is so strong that the living entity is
satisfied in whatever body he gets, and he identifies with that body with great
pleasure. Therefore, I beg to request you not to be overwhelmed by the dictation of
your mind and body.”
Vasudeva thus requested Kaàsa not to be envious of his newly married sister. One
should not be envious of anyone, because envy is the cause of fear both in this world
and in the next when one is before Yamaräja (the lord of punishment after death).
Vasudeva appealed to Kaàsa on behalf of Devaké, stating that she was his younger
sister. He also appealed at an auspicious moment, at the time of marriage. A younger
sister or brother are supposed to be protected as one’s children. “The position is
overall so delicate,” Vasudeva reasoned, “that if you kill her, it will go against your
high reputation.”
Vasudeva tried to pacify Kaàsa by good instruction as well as by philosophical
discrimination, but Kaàsa was not to be pacified because his association was
demoniac. Because of his demoniac associations, he was always a demon, although
born in a very high royal family. A demon never cares for any good instruction. He
is just like a determined thief: one can give him moral instruction, but it will not be
effective. Similarly, those who are demoniac or atheistic by nature can hardly
assimilate any good instruction, however authorized it may be. That is the difference
between demigod and demon. Those who can accept good instruction and try to live
their lives in that way are called demigods, and those who are unable to take such
good instruction are called demons. Failing in his attempt to pacify Kaàsa, Vasudeva
wondered how he would protect his wife Devaké. When there is imminent danger,
an intelligent person should try to avoid the dangerous position as far as possible.
But if, in spite of endeavoring by all intelligence, one fails to avoid the dangerous
position, there is no fault on his part. One should try his best to execute his duties,
but if the attempt fails, he is not at fault.
Vasudeva thought of his wife as follows: “For the present let me save the life of
Devaké, then later on, if there are children, I shall see how to save them.” He further
thought, “If in the future I get a child who can kill Kaàsa—just as Kaàsa is thinking
—then both Devaké and the child will be saved because the law of Providence is
inconceivable. But now, some way or other, let me save the life of Devaké.”
There is no certainty how a living entity contacts a certain type of body, just as there
is no certainty how the blazing fire comes in contact with a certain type of wood in
the forest. When there is a forest fire, it is experienced that the blazing fire
sometimes leaps over one tree and catches another by the influence of the wind.
Similarly, a living entity may be very careful and fearful in the matter of executing
his duties, but it is still very difficult for him to know what type of body he is going
to get in the next life. Mahäräja Bharata was very faithfully executing the duties of
self-realization, but by chance he contacted temporary affection for a deer, and he
had to accept his next life in the body of a deer.
Vasudeva, after deliberating on how to save his wife, began to speak to Kaàsa with
great respect, although Kaàsa was the most sinful man. Sometimes it happens that a
most virtuous person like Vasudeva has to flatter a person like Kaàsa, a most vicious
person. That is the way of all diplomatic transactions. Although Vasudeva was
deeply aggrieved, he presented himself outwardly as cheerful. He addressed the
shameless Kaàsa in that way because he was so atrocious. Vasudeva said to Kaàsa,
“My dear brother-in-law, please consider that you have no danger from your sister.
You are awaiting some danger because you have heard a prophetic voice in the sky.
But the danger is to come from the sons of your sister, who are not present now. And
who knows? There may or may not be sons in the future. Considering all this, you
are safe for the present. Nor is there cause of fear from your sister. If there are any
sons born of her, I promise that I shall present all of them to you for necessary
action.”
Kaàsa knew the value of Vasudeva’s word of honor, and he was convinced by his
argument. For the time being, he desisted from the heinous killing of his sister. Thus
Vasudeva was pleased and praised the decision of Kaàsa. In this way, he returned to
his home.
After due course of time, Vasudeva and Devaké gave birth to eight male children, as
well as one daughter. When the first son was born, Vasudeva kept his word of honor
and immediately brought the child before Kaàsa. It is said that Vasudeva was very
much elevated and famous for his word of honor, and he wanted to maintain this
fame. Although it was very painful for Vasudeva to hand over the newly born child,
Kaàsa was very glad to receive him. But he became a little compassionate with the
behavior of Vasudeva. This event is very exemplary. For a great soul like Vasudeva,
there is nothing considered to be painful in the course of discharging one’s duty. A
learned person like Vasudeva carries out his duties without hesitation. On the other
hand, a demon like Kaàsa never hesitates in committing any abominable action. It
is said, therefore, that a saintly person can tolerate all kinds of miserable conditions
of life, a learned man can discharge his duties without awaiting favorable
circumstances, a heinous person like Kaàsa can act in any sinful way, and a devotee
can sacrifice everything to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Kaàsa became satisfied by the action of Vasudeva. He was surprised to see Vasudeva
keeping his promise, and being compassionate upon him and pleased, he began to
speak as follows: “My dear Vasudeva, you need not present this child to me. I am not
in danger from this child. I have heard that the eighth child born of you and Devaké
will kill me. Why should I accept this child unnecessarily? You can take him back.”
When Vasudeva was returning home with his first-born child, although he was
pleased by the behavior of Kaàsa, he could not believe in him because he knew that
Kaàsa was uncontrolled. An atheistic person cannot be firm in his word of honor.
One who cannot control the senses cannot be steady in his determination. The great
politician, Cäëakya Paëòit, said, “Never put your trust in a diplomat or in a woman.”
Those who are addicted to unrestricted sense gratification can never be truthful, nor
can they be trusted with any faith.
At that time the great sage Närada came to Kaàsa. He was informed of Kaàsa’s
becoming compassionate to Vasudeva and returning his first-born child. Närada was
very anxious to accelerate the descent of Lord Kåñëa as soon as possible. He
therefore informed Kaàsa that personalities like Nanda Mahäräja and all the
cowherd men and girls and the wives of the cowherd men in Våndävana, and, on the
other side, Vasudeva, his father Çürasena and all his relatives born in the family of
Våñëi of the Yadu Dynasty, were preparing for the appearance of the Lord. Närada
warned Kaàsa to be careful of the friends and well-wishers and all the demigods
taking birth in those families. Kaàsa and his friends and advisors were all demons.
Demons are always afraid of demigods. After being thus informed by Närada about
the appearance of the demigods in different families, Kaàsa at once became alert.
He understood that since the demigods had already appeared, Lord Viñëu must be
coming soon. He at once arrested both his brother-in-law Vasudeva and Devaké and
put them behind prison bars.
Within the prison, shackled in iron chains, Vasudeva and Devaké gave birth to a
male child year after year, and Kaàsa, thinking each of the babies to be the
incarnation of Viñëu, killed them one after another. He was particularly afraid of
the eighth child, but after the visit of Närada, he came to the conclusion that any
child might be Kåñëa. Therefore it was better to kill all the babies who took birth of
Devaké and Vasudeva.
This action of Kaàsa is not very difficult to understand. There are many instances
in the history of the world of persons in the royal order who have killed father,
brother, or a whole family and friends for the satisfaction of their ambitions. There
is nothing astonishing about this, for the demoniac can kill anyone for their
nefarious ambitions.
Kaàsa was made aware of his previous birth by the grace of Närada. He learned that
in his previous birth he was a demon of the name Kälanemi and that he was killed by
Viñëu. Having taken his birth in the Bhoja family, he decided to become the deadly
enemy of the Yadu dynasty; Kåñëa was going to take birth in that family, and Kaàsa
was very much afraid that he would be killed by Kåñëa, just as he was killed in his
last birth.
He first of all imprisoned his father Ugrasena because he was the chief king among
the Yadu, Bhoja, and Andhaka dynasties, and he also occupied the kingdom of
Çürasena, Vasudeva’s father. He declared himself the king of all such places.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the First Chapter of Kåñëa, “Advent of Lord
Kåñëa.”
2 / Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kåñëa in
the Womb
King Kaàsa not only occupied the kingdoms of the Yadu, Bhoja, and Andhaka
dynasties and the kingdom of Çürasena, but he also made alliances with all the other
demoniac kings, as follows: the demon Pralamba, demon Baka, demon Cäëüra,
demon Tåëävarta, demon Aghäsura, demon Muñöika, demon Ariñöa, demon Dvivida,
demon Pütanä, demon Keçé and demon Dhenuka. At that time, Jaräsandha was the
king of Magadha province (known at present as Behar state). Thus by his diplomatic
policy, Kaàsa consolidated the most powerful kingdom of his time, under the
protection of Jaräsandha. He made further alliances with such kings as Bäëäsura and
Bhaumäsura, until he was the strongest. Then he began to behave most inimically
towards the Yadu dynasty into which Kåñëa was to take His birth.
Being harassed by Kaàsa, the kings of the Yadu, Bhoja and Andhaka dynasties
began to take shelter in different states such as the state of the Kurus, the state of
the Païcälas and the states known as Kekaya, Çälva, Vidarbha, Niñadha, Videha and
Koçala. Kaàsa broke the solidarity of the Yadu Kingdom, as well as the Bhoja and
Andhaka. He made his position the most solid within the vast tract of land known at
that time as Bhäratavarña.
When Kaàsa killed the six babies of Devaké and Vasudeva one after another, many
friends and relatives of Kaàsa approached him and requested him to discontinue
these heinous activities. But all of them became worshipers of Kaàsa.
When Devaké became pregnant for the seventh time, a plenary expansion of Kåñëa
known as Ananta appeared within her womb. Devaké was overwhelmed both with
jubilation and lamentation. She was joyful, for she could understand that Lord Viñëu
had taken shelter within her womb, but at the same time she was sorry that as soon
as her child would come out, Kaàsa would kill Him. At that time, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, being compassionate upon the fearful condition of
the Yadus, due to atrocities committed by Kaàsa, ordered the appearance of His
Yogamäyä, or His internal potency. Kåñëa is the Lord of the universe, but He is
especially the Lord of the Yadu dynasty.
This Yogamäyä is the principal potency of the Personality of Godhead. In the Vedas
it is stated that the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has multipotencies.
Paräsya çaktir vividhaiva çrüyate. All the different potencies are acting externally
and internally, and Yogamäyä is the chief of all potencies. He ordered the
appearance of Yogamäyä in the land of Vrajabhümi, in Våndävana, which is always
decorated and full with beautiful cows. In Våndävana, Rohiëé, one of the wives of
Vasudeva, was residing at the house of King Nanda and Queen Yaçodä. Not only
Rohiëé, but many others in the Yadu dynasty were scattered all over the country due
to their fear of the atrocities of Kaàsa. Some of them were even living in the caves
of the mountains.
The Lord thus informed Yogamäyä: “Under the imprisonment of Kaàsa are Devaké
and Vasudeva, and at the present moment, My plenary expansion, Çeña, is within the
womb of Devaké. You can arrange the transfer of Çeña from the womb of Devaké to
the womb of Rohiëé. After this arrangement, I am personally going to appear in the
womb of Devaké with My full potencies. Then I shall appear as the son of Devaké and
Vasudeva. And you shall appear as the daughter of Nanda and Yaçodä in Våndävana.
“Since you will appear as My contemporary sister, people within the world will
worship you with all kinds of valuable presentations: incense, candles, flowers and
offerings of sacrifice. You shall quickly satisfy their desires for sense gratificiation.
People who are after materialistic affection will worship you under the different
forms of your expansions, which will be named Durgä, Bhadrakälé, Vijayä, Vaiñëavé,
Kumudä, Caëòikä, Kåñëä, Mädhavé, Kanyakä, Mäyä, Näräyaëé, Éçäné, Çäradä and
Ambikä.”
Kåñëa and Yogamäyä appeared as brother and sister—the Supreme Powerful and the
supreme power. Although there is no clear distinction between the Powerful and the
power, power is always subordinate to the Powerful. Those who are materialistic are
worshipers of the power, but those who are transcendentalists are worshipers of the
Powerful. Kåñëa is the Supreme Powerful, and Durgä is the supreme power within
the material world. Actually people in the Vedic culture worship both the Powerful
and the power. There are many hundreds of thousands of temples of Viñëu and Devé,
and sometimes they are worshiped simultaneously. The worshiper of the power,
Durgä, or the external energy of Kåñëa, may achieve all kinds of material success
very easily, but anyone who wants to be elevated transcendentally must engage in
worshiping the Powerful in Kåñëa consciousness.
The Lord also declared to Yogamäyä that His plenary expansion, Ananta Çeña, was
within the womb of Devaké. On account of being forcibly attracted to the womb of
Rohiëé, He will be known as Saìkarñaëa and would be the source of all spiritual
power or bala, by which one could be able to attain the highest bliss of life which is
called ramaëa. Therefore the plenary portion Ananta would be known after His
appearance either as Saìkarñaëa or Balaräma.
In the Upaniñads it is stated, Näyam ätmä bala hénena labhya. The purport is that
one cannot attain the Supreme or any form of self-realization without being
sufficiently favored by Balaräma. Bala does not mean physical strength. No one can
attain spiritual perfection by physical strength. One must have the spiritual strength
which is infused by Balaräma or Saìkarñaëa. Ananta or Çeña is the power which
sustains all the planets in their different positions. Materially this sustaining power
is known as the law of gravitation, but actually it is the display of the potency of
Saìkarñaëa. Balaräma or Saìkarñaëa is spiritual power, or the original spiritual
master. Therefore Lord Nityänanda Prabhu, who is also the incarnation of Balaräma,
is the original spiritual master. And the spiritual master is the representative of
Balaräma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who supplies spiritual strength. In
the Caitanya-caritämåta it is confirmed that the spiritual master is the manifestation
of the mercy of Kåñëa.
When Yogamäyä was thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, she
circumambulated the Lord and then appeared within this material world according
to His order. When the Supreme Powerful Personality of Godhead transferred Lord
Çeña from the womb of Devaké to the womb of Rohiëé, both of them were under the
spell of Yogamäyä, which is also called yoga-nidrä. When this was done, people
understood that Devaké’s seventh pregnancy was a miscarriage. Thus although
Balaräma appeared as the son of Devaké, He was transferred to the womb of Rohiëé
to appear as her son. After this arrangement, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Kåñëa, who is always ready to place His full potencies in His unalloyed devotees,
entered as the Lord of the whole creation within the mind of Vasudeva. It is
understood in this connection that Lord Kåñëa first of all situated Himself in the
unalloyed heart of Devaké. He was not put into the womb of Devaké by seminal
discharge. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His inconceivable potency, can
appear in any way. It is not necessary for Him to appear in the ordinary way by
seminal injection within the womb of a woman.
When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
within his heart, he appeared just like the glowing sun whose shining rays are always
unbearable and scorching to the common man. The form of the Lord situated in the
pure unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the original form of Kåñëa.
The appearance of the form of Kåñëa anywhere, and specifically within the heart, is
called dhäma. Dhäma does not only refer to Kåñëa’s form, but His name, His form,
His quality and His paraphernalia. Everything becomes manifest simultaneously.
Thus the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full potencies
was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaké, exactly as the
setting sun’s rays are transferred to the full moon rising in the east.
Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, entered the body of Devaké from the
body of Vasudeva. He was beyond the conditions of the ordinary living entity. When
Kåñëa is there, it is to be understood that all His plenary expansions, such as
Näräyaëa, and incarnations like Lord Nåsiàha, Varäha, etc., are with Him, and they
are not subject to the conditions of material existence. In this way, Devaké became
the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is one without a second
and the cause of all creation. Devaké became the residence of the Absolute Truth,
but because she was within the house of Kaàsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire,
or like misused education. When fire is covered by the walls of a pot or is kept in a
jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot be very much appreciated. Similarly,
misused knowledge, which does not benefit the people in general, is not very much
appreciated. So Devaké was kept within the prison walls of Kaàsa’s palace, and no
one could see her transcendental beauty which resulted from her conceiving the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Kaàsa, however, saw the transcendental beauty of his sister Devaké, and he at once
concluded that the Supreme Personality of Godhead had taken shelter in her womb.
She had never before looked so wonderfully beautiful. He could distinctly
understand that there was something wonderful within the womb of Devaké. In this
way, Kaàsa became perturbed. He was sure that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead would kill him in the future and that He had now come. Kaàsa began to
think: “What is to be done with Devaké? Surely she has Viñëu or Kåñëa within her
womb, so it is certain that Kåñëa has come to execute the mission of the demigods.
And even if I immediately kill Devaké, His mission cannot be frustrated.” Kaàsa
knew very well that no one can frustrate the purpose of Viñëu. Any intelligent man
can understand that the laws of God cannot be violated. His purpose will be served
in spite of all impediments offered by the demons. Kaàsa thought: “If I kill Devaké at
the present moment, Viñëu will enforce His supreme will more vehemently. To kill
Devaké just now would be a most abominable act. No one desires to kill his
reputation, even in an awkward situation; if I kill Devaké now, my reputation will be
spoiled. Devaké is a woman, and she is under my shelter; she is pregnant, and if I kill
her, immediately all my reputation, the result of pious activities and duration of life,
will be finished.”
He also further deliberated: “A person who is too cruel, even in this lifetime is as
good as dead. No one likes a cruel person during his lifetime, and after his death,
people curse him. On account of his self-identification with the body, he must be
degraded and pushed into the darkest region of hell.” Kaàsa thus meditated on all
the pros and cons of killing Devaké at that time.
Kaàsa finally decided not to kill Devaké right away but to wait for the inevitable
future. But his mind became absorbed in animosity against the Personality of
Godhead. He patiently waited for the deliverance of the child, expecting to kill Him,
as he had done previously with the other babies of Devaké. Thus being merged in the
ocean of animosity against the Personality of Godhead, he began to think of Kåñëa
and Viñëu while sitting, while sleeping, while walking, while eating, while working
—in all the situations of his life. His mind became so much absorbed with the
thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that indirectly he could see only
Kåñëa or Viñëu around him. Unfortunately, although his mind was so absorbed in
the thought of Viñëu, he is not recognized as a devotee because he was thinking of
Kåñëa as an enemy. The state of mind of a great devotee is also to be always absorbed
in Kåñëa, but a devotee thinks of Him favorably, not unfavorably. To think of Kåñëa
favorably is Kåñëa consciousness, but to think of Kåñëa unfavorably is not Kåñëa
consciousness.
At this time Lord Brahmä and Lord Çiva, accompanied by great sages like Närada
and followed by many other demigods, invisibly appeared in the house of Kaàsa.
They began to pray for the Supreme Personality of Godhead in select prayers which
are very pleasing to the devotees and which award fulfillment of their desires. The
first words they spoke acclaimed that the Lord is true to His vow. As stated in the
Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa descends in this material world just to protect the pious and
destroy the impious. That is His vow. The demigods could understand that the Lord
had taken His residence within the womb of Devaké in order to fulfill this vow. The
demigods were very glad that the Lord was appearing to fulfill His mission, and they
addressed Him as satyam param, or the Supreme Absolute Truth.
Everyone is searching after the truth. That is the philosophical way of life. The
demigods give information that the Supreme Absolute Truth is Kåñëa. One who
becomes fully Kåñëa conscious can attain the Absolute Truth. Kåñëa is the Absolute
Truth. Relative truth is not truth in all the three phases of eternal time. Time is
divided into past, present and future. Kåñëa is Truth always, past, present and future.
In the material world everything is being controlled by supreme time, in the course
of past, present and future. But before the creation, Kåñëa was existing, and when
there is creation, everything is resting in Kåñëa, and when this creation is finished,
Kåñëa will remain. Therefore, He is Absolute Truth in all circumstances. If there is
any truth within this material world, it emanates from the Supreme Truth, Kåñëa. If
there is any opulence within this material world, the cause of the opulence is Kåñëa.
If there is any reputation within this material world, the cause of the reputation is
Kåñëa. If there is any strength within this material world, the cause of such strength
is Kåñëa. If there is any wisdom and education within this material world, the cause
of such wisdom and education is Kåñëa. Therefore Kåñëa is the source of all relative
truths.
This material world is composed of five principal elements: earth, water, fire, air and
ether, and all such elements are emanations from Kåñëa. The material scientists
accept these primary five elements as the cause of the material manifestation, but
the elements in their gross and subtle states are produced by Kåñëa. The living
entities who are working within this material world are also products of His marginal
potency. In the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gétä, it is clearly stated that the
whole manifestation is a combination of two kinds of energies of Kåñëa, the superior
energy and the inferior energy. The living entities are the superior energy, and the
dead material elements are His inferior energy. In its dormant stage, everything
remains in Kåñëa.
The demigods continued to offer their respectful prayers unto the supreme form of
the Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, by analytical study of the material manifestation.
What is this material manifestation? It is just like a tree. A tree stands on the
ground. Similarly, the tree of the material manifestation is standing on the ground of
material nature. This material manifestation is compared with a tree because a tree
is ultimately cut off in due course of time. A tree is called våkña. Våkña means that
thing which will be ultimately cut off. Therefore, this tree of the material
manifestation cannot be accepted as the Ultimate Truth. The influence of time is on
the material manifestation, but Kåñëa’s body is eternal. He existed before the
material manifestation, He is existing while the material manifestation is
continuing, and when it will be dissolved, He will continue to exist.
The Kaöha Upaniñad also cites this example of the tree of material manifestation
standing on the ground of material nature. This tree has two kinds of fruits, distress
and happiness. Those who are living on the tree of the body are just like two birds.
One bird is the localized aspect of Kåñëa known as the Paramätmä, and the other
bird is the living entity. The living entity is eating the fruits of this material
manifestation. Sometimes he eats the fruit of happiness, and sometimes he eats the
fruit of distress. But the other bird is not interested in eating the fruit of distress or
happiness because he is self-satisfied. The Kaöha Upaniñad states that one bird on
the tree of the body is eating the fruits, and the other bird is simply witnessing. The
roots of this tree extend in three directions. That means the root of the tree is the
three modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Just as the tree’s
root expands, so, by association of the modes of material nature (goodness, passion
and ignorance), one expands his duration of material existence. The taste of the
fruits are of four kinds: religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and
ultimately, liberation. According to the different associations in the three modes of
material nature, the living entities are tasting different kinds of religiosity, different
kinds of economic development, different kinds of sense gratification and different
kinds of liberation. Practically all material work is performed in ignorance, but
because there are three qualities, sometimes the quality of ignorance is covered with
goodness or passion. The taste of these material fruits is accepted through five
senses. The five sense organs through which knowledge is acquired are subjected to
six kinds of whips: lamentation, illusion, infirmity, death, hunger and thirst. This
material body, or the material manifestation, is covered by seven layers: skin, muscle,
flesh, marrow, bone, fat and semina. The branches of the tree are eight: earth, water,
fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego. There are nine gates in this body: the two
eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, one genital, one rectum. And there are ten
kinds of internal air passing within the body: präëa, apäna, udäna, vyäna, samäna,
etc. The two birds seated in this tree, as explained above, are the living entity and
the localized Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The root cause of the material manifestation described here is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead expands Himself and
takes charge of the three qualities of the material world. Viñëu takes charge of the
modes of goodness, Brahmä takes charge of the modes of passion, and Lord Çiva
takes charge of the modes of ignorance. Brahmä, by the modes of passion, creates
this manifestation, Lord Viñëu maintains this manifestation by the modes of
goodness, and Lord Çiva annihilates it by the modes of ignorance. The whole
creation ultimately rests in the Supreme Lord. He is the cause of creation,
maintenance and dissolution. And when the whole manifestation is dissolved, in its
subtle form as the energy of the Lord, it rests within the body of the Supreme Lord.
“At the present,” the demigods prayed, “the Supreme Lord Kåñëa is appearing just for
the maintenance of this manifestation.” Actually the Supreme Cause is one, but,
being deluded by the three modes of material nature, less intelligent persons see that
the material world is manifested through different causes. Those who are intelligent
can see that the cause is one, Kåñëa. As it is stated in the Brahma-saàhitä: sarvakäraëa-
käraëam. Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the cause of all
causes. Brahmä is the deputed agent for creation, Viñëu is the expansion of Kåñëa for
maintenance, and Lord Çiva is the expansion of Kåñëa for dissolution.
“Our dear Lord,” the demigods prayed, “it is very difficult to understand Your eternal
form of personality. People in general are unable to understand Your actual form;
therefore You are personally descending to exhibit Your original eternal form.
Somehow people can understand the different incarnations of Your Lordship, but
they are puzzled to understand the eternal form of Kåñëa with two hands, moving
among human beings exactly like one of them. This eternal form of Your Lordship is
ever increasing in transcendental pleasure for the devotees. But for the nondevotees,
this form is very dangerous.” As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa is very pleasing to
the sädhu. It is said, pariträëäya sädhünäm. But this form is very dangerous for the
demons because Kåñëa also descends to kill the demons. He is, therefore,
simultaneously pleasing to the devotees and dangerous to the demons.
“Our dear lotus-eyed Lord, You are the source of pure goodness. There are many
great sages who simply by samädhi, or transcendentally meditating upon Your lotus
feet and thus being absorbed in Your thought, have easily transformed the great
ocean of nescience created by the material nature to no more than water in a calf’s
hoofprint.” The purpose of meditation is to focus the mind upon the Personality of
Godhead, beginning from His lotus feet. Simply by meditation on the lotus feet of
the Lord, great sages cross over this vast ocean of material existence without
difficulty.
“O self-illuminated one, the great saintly persons who have crossed over the ocean of
nescience, by the help of the transcendental boat of Your lotus feet, have not taken
away that boat. It is still lying on this side.” The demigods are using a nice simile. If
one takes a boat to cross over a river, the boat also goes with one to the other side of
the river. And so when one reaches the destination, how can the same boat be
available to those who are still on the other side? To answer this difficulty, the
demigods say in their prayer that the boat is not taken away. The devotees still
remaining on the other side are able to pass over the ocean of material nature
because the pure devotees do not take the boat with them when they cross over.
When one simply approaches the boat, the whole ocean of material nescience is
reduced to the size of water in a calf’s hoofprint. Therefore, the devotees do not need
to take a boat to the other side; they simply cross the ocean immediately. Because the
great saintly persons are compassionate toward all conditioned souls, the boat is still
lying at the lotus feet of the Lord. One can meditate upon His feet at any time, and
by so doing, one can cross over the great ocean of material existence.
Meditation means concentration upon the lotus feet of the Lord. Lotus feet indicate
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are impersonalists do not recognize
the lotus feet of the Lord, and therefore their object of meditation is something
impersonal. The demigods express their mature verdict that persons who are
interested in meditating on something void or impersonal cannot cross over the
ocean of nescience. Such persons are simply imagining that they have become
liberated. “O lotus-eyed Lord! Their intelligence is contaminated because they fail to
meditate upon the lotus feet of Your Lordship.” As a result of this neglectful activity,
the impersonalists fall down again into the material way of conditioned life,
although they may temporarily rise up to the point of impersonal realization.
Impersonalists, after undergoing severe austerities and penances, merge themselves
into the Brahman effulgence or impersonal Brahman existence. But their minds are
not free from material contamination; they have simply tried to negate the material
ways of thinking. That does not mean that they have become liberated. Thus they
fall down. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is stated that the impersonalist has to undergo
great tribulation in realizing the ultimate goal. At the beginning of the Çrémad-
Bhägavatam, it is also stated that without devotional service to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, one cannot achieve liberation from the bondage of fruitive
activities. The statement of Lord Kåñëa is there in the Bhagavad-gétä, and in the
Çrémad-Bhägavatam the statement of the great sage Närada is there, and here also
the demigods confirm it. “Persons who have not taken to devotional service are
understood to have come short of the ultimate purpose of knowledge and are not
favored by Your grace.” The impersonalists simply think that they are liberated, but
actually they have no feeling for the Personality of Godhead. They think that when
Kåñëa comes into the material world, he accepts a material body. They therefore
overlook the transcendental body of Kåñëa. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavadgétä:
Avajänanti mäà müòhäù. In spite of conquering material lust and rising up to
the point of liberation, the impersonalists fall down. If they are engaged just in
knowing things for the sake of knowledge and do not take to the devotional service
of the Lord, they cannot achieve the desired result. Their achievement is the trouble
they take, and that is all. It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that to realize
Brahman identification is not all. Brahman identification may help one become
joyful without material attachment or detachment and to achieve the platform of
equanimity, but after this stage, one has to take to devotional service. When one
takes to devotional service after being elevated to the platform of Brahman
realization, he is then admitted into the spiritual kingdom for permanent residence
in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the result of
devotional service. Those who are devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
never fall down like the impersonalists. Even if the devotees fall down, they remain
affectionately attached to their Lordship. They can meet all kinds of obstacles on the
path of devotional service, and freely, without any fear, they can surmount such
obstacles. Because of their surrender, they are certain that Kåñëa will always protect
them. As it is promised by Kåñëa in the Bhagavad-gétä: “My devotees are never
vanquished.”
“Our dear Lord, You have appeared in Your original unalloyed form, the eternal
form of goodness, for the welfare of all living entities within this material world.
Taking advantage of Your appearance, all of them can now very easily understand
the nature and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Persons who belong to
the four divisions of the social order (the brahmacärés, the gåhasthas, the
vänaprasthas and the sannyäsés) can all take advantage of Your appearance.
“Dear Lord, husband of the goddess of fortune, devotees who are dovetailed in Your
service do not fall down from their high position like the impersonalists. Being
protected by You, the devotees are able to traverse over the heads of many of mäyä’s
commanders-in-chief, who can always put stumbling blocks on the path of liberation.
My dear Lord, You appear in Your transcendental form for the benefit of the living
entities so that they can see You face to face and offer their worshipful sacrifices by
ritualistic performance of the Vedas, mystic meditation and devotional service as
recommended in the scriptures. Dear Lord, if You did not appear in Your eternal
transcendental form, full of bliss and knowledge—which can eradicate all kinds of
speculative ignorance about Your position—then all people would simply speculate
about You according to their respective modes of material nature.”
The appearance of Kåñëa is the answer to all imaginative iconography of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone imagines the form of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead according to his mode of material nature. In the Brahmäsaàhitä
it is said that the Lord is the oldest person. Therefore a section of
religionists imagine that God must be very old, and therefore they depict a form of
the Lord like a very old man. But in the same Brahmä-saàhitä, that is contradicted;
although He is the oldest of all living entities, He has His eternal form as a fresh
youth. The exact words used in this connection in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam are
vijïänam ajïänabhid äpamärjanam. Vijïänam means transcendental knowledge of
the Supreme Personality. Vijïänam is also experienced knowledge. Transcendental
knowledge has to be accepted by the descending process of disciplic succession as
Brahmä presents the knowledge of Kåñëa in the Brahma-saàhitä. Brahma-saàhitä is
vijïänam as realized by Brahmä’s transcendental experience, and in that way he
presented the form and the pastimes of Kåñëa in the transcendental abode.
Ajïänabhid means that which can match all kinds of speculation. In ignorance,
people are imagining the form of the Lord; sometimes He has no form and sometimes
He has form, according to their different imaginations. But the presentation of
Kåñëa in the Brahma-saàhitä is vijïänam—scientific, experienced knowledge given
by Lord Brahmä and accepted by Lord Caitanya. There is no doubt about it. Çré
Kåñëa’s form, Çré Kåñëa’s flute, Kåñëa’s color—everything is reality. Here it is said
that this vijïänam is always defeating all kinds of speculative knowledge. “Therefore,
without Your appearing as Kåñëa, as You are, neither ajïänabhid (nescience of
speculative knowledge) nor vijïänam would be realized. Ajïänabhid äpamärjanam
—by Your appearance the speculative knowledge of ignorance will be vanquished
and the real experienced knowledge of authorities like Lord Brahmä will be
established. Men influenced by the three modes of material nature imagine their
own God according to the modes of material nature. In this way God is presented in
various ways, but Your appearance will establish what the real form of God is.”
The highest blunder committed by the impersonalist is to think that when the
incarnation of God comes, He accepts the form of matter in the modes of goodness.
Actually the form of Kåñëa or Näräyaëa is transcendental to any material idea. Even
the greatest impersonalist, Çaìkaräcärya, has admitted that näräyaëaù paro ’vyaktät:
the material creation is caused by the avyakta impersonal manifestation of matter or
the nonphenomenal total reservation of matter, and Kåñëa is transcendental to that
material conception. That is expressed in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam as çuddha-sattva,
or transcendental. He does not belong to the material mode of goodness, and He is
above the position of material goodness. He belongs to the transcendental eternal
status of bliss and knowledge.
“Dear Lord, when You appear in Your different incarnations, You take different
names and forms according to different situations. Lord Kåñëa is Your name because
You are all attractive; You are called Çyämasundara because of Your transcendental
beauty. Çyäma means blackish, yet they say that You are more beautiful than
thousands of Cupids. Kandarpa-koöi-kamanéya. Although You appear in a color
which is compared to the blackish cloud, because You are transcendental Absolute,
Your beauty is many many times more attractive than the delicate body of Cupid.
Sometimes You are called Giridhäré because You lifted the hill known as
Govardhana. You are sometimes called Nandanandana or Väsudeva or
Devakénandana because You appear as the son of Mahäräja Nanda or Devaké or
Vasudeva. Impersonalists think that Your many names or forms are according to a
particular type of work and quality because they accept You from the position of a
material observer.
“Our dear Lord, the way of understanding is not to study Your absolute nature, form
and activities by mental speculation. One must engage himself in devotional service;
then one can understand Your absolute nature, transcendental form, name and
quality. Actually only a person who has a little taste for the service of Your lotus feet
can understand Your transcendental nature or form and quality. Others may go on
speculating for millions of years, but it is not possible for them to understand even a
single part of Your actual position.” In other words, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Kåñëa, cannot be understood by the nondevotees because there is a
curtain of Yogamäyä which covers Kåñëa’s actual features. As confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gétä, nähaà prakäçaù sarvasya. The Lord says, “I am not exposed to
anyone and everyone.” When Kåñëa came, He was actually present on the battlefield
of Kurukñetra, and everyone saw Him. But not everyone could understand that He
was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, everyone who died in His presence
attained complete liberation from material bondage and was transferred to the
spiritual world.
“O Lord, the impersonalists or nondevotees cannot understand that Your name is
identical with Your form.” Since the Lord is absolute, there is no difference between
His name and His actual form. In the material world there is a difference between
form and name. The mango fruit is different from the name of the mango. One
cannot taste the mango fruit simply by chanting, “Mango, mango, mango.” But the
devotee who knows that there is no difference between the name and the form of
the Lord chants Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare, Hare Räma, Hare
Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare and realizes that he is always in Kåñëa’s company.
For persons who are not very advanced in absolute knowledge of the Supreme, Lord
Kåñëa exhibits His transcendental pastimes. They can simply think of the pastimes
of the Lord and get the full benefit. Since there is no difference between the
transcendental name and form of the Lord, there is no difference between the
transcendental pastimes and the form of the Lord. For those who are less intelligent
(like women, laborers or the mercantile class), the great sage Vyäsadeva wrote
Mahäbhärata. In the Mahäbhärata, Kåñëa is present in His different activities.
Mahäbhärata is history, and simply by studying, hearing and memorizing the
transcendental activities of Kåñëa, the less intelligent can also gradually rise to the
standard of pure devotees.
The pure devotees, who are always absorbed in the thought of the transcendental
lotus feet of Kåñëa and who are always engaged in devotional service in full Kåñëa
consciousness, are never to be considered to be in the material world. Çré Rüpa
Gosvämé has explained that those who are always engaged in Kåñëa consciousness,
by body, mind and activities, are to be considered liberated even within this body.
This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä: those who are engaged in the devotional
service of the Lord have already transcended the material position.
Kåñëa appears to give a chance both to the devotees and nondevotees for realization
of the ultimate goal of life. The devotees get the direct chance to see Him and
worship Him. Those who are not on that platform get the chance to become
acquainted with His activities and thus become elevated to the same position.
“O dear Lord,” the demigods continued, “You are unborn; therefore we do not find
any reason for Your appearance other than for Your pleasurable pastimes.” Although
the reason for the appearance of the Lord is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä (He
descends just to give protection to the devotee and vanquish the nondevotee),
actually He descends for His pleasure-meeting with the devotees, not really to
vanquish the nondevotees. The nondevotees can be vanquished simply by material
nature. “The action and reaction of the external enregy of material nature (creation,
maintenance and annihilation) are being carried on automatically. But simply by
taking shelter of Your holy name—because Your holy name and Your personality are
nondifferent—the devotees are sufficiently protected.” The protection of the
devotees and the annihilation of the nondevotees are actually not the business of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He descends. They are just for His
transcendental pleasure. There cannot be any other reason for His appearance.
“Our dear Lord, You are appearing as the best of the Yadu dynasty, and we are
offering our respectful humble obeisances unto Your lotus feet. Before this
appearance, You also appeared as the fish incarnation, the horse incarnation, the
tortoise incarnation, the swan incarnation, as King Rämacandra, as Paraçuräma, and
as many other incarnations. You appeared just to protect the devotees, and we
request You in Your present appearance as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself to give us similar protection all over the three worlds and remove all
obstacles for the peaceful execution of our lives.
“Dear mother Devaké, within your womb is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
appearing along with all His plenary extensions. He is the original Personality of
Godhead appearing for our welfare. Therefore you should not be afraid of your
brother, the King of Bhoja. Your son Lord Kåñëa, who is the original Personality of
Godhead, will appear for the protection of the pious Yadu dynasty. The Lord is
appearing not only alone but accompanied by His immediate plenary portion,
Balaräma.”
Devaké was very much afraid of her brother Kaàsa because he had already killed so
many of her children. She used to remain very anxious about Kåñëa. In the Viñëu
Puräëa it is stated that in order to pacify Devaké, all the demigods, along with their
wives, used to always visit her to encourage her not to be afraid that her son would
be killed by Kaàsa. Kåñëa, who was within her womb, was to appear not only to
diminish the burden of the world but specifically to protect the interest of the Yadu
dynasty, and certainly to protect Devaké and Vasudeva.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Second Chapter of Kåñëa, “Prayers by
the Demigods for Lord Kåñëa in the Womb.”
3 / Birth of Lord Kåñëa
As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and
activities, are all transcendental, and one who understands them factually becomes
immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance
or birth is not like that of an ordinary man who is forced to accept a material body
according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second
Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for
the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The
astrological influence of the star known as Rohiëé was also predominant because this
star is considered to be very auspicious. Rohiëé is under the direct supervision of
Brahmä. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the
stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations
of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kåñëa’s birth, the planetary
systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious.
At that time, in all directions, east, west, south, north, everywhere, there was an
atmosphere of peace and prosperity. There were auspicious stars visible in the sky,
and on the surface in all towns and villages or pasturing grounds and within the
minds of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of
waters, and lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full
with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with
sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance along with their consorts. The wind
blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, and the sensation of
bodily touch was very pleasing. At home, the brähmaëas, who were accustomed to
offer sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Due to
disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire alter had been almost
stopped in the houses of brähmaëas, but now they could find the opportunity to start
the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brähmaëas were very
distressed in mind, intelligence and activities, but just on the point of Kåñëa’s
appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear
loud vibrations in the sky of transcendental sounds proclaiming the appearance of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The denizens of the Gandharva and Kinnara planets began to sing, and the denizens
of Siddhaloka and the planets of the Cäraëas began to offer prayers in the service of
the Personality of Godhead. In the heavenly planets, the angels along with their
wives, accompanied by the Apsaras, began to dance.
The great sages and the demigods, being pleased, began to shower flowers. At the
seashore, there was the sound of mild waves, and above the sea there were clouds in
the sky which began to thunder very pleasingly.
When things were adjusted like this, Lord Viñëu, who is residing within the heart of
every living entity, appeared in the darkness of night as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead before Devaké, who also appeared as one of the demigoddesses. The
appearance of Lord Viñëu at that time could be compared with the full moon in the
sky as it rises on the eastern horizon. The objection may be raised that, since Lord
Kåñëa appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon, there could be no rising of
the full moon. In answer to this it may be said that Lord Kåñëa appeared in the
dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the moon; therefore, although the moon was
incomplete on that night, because of the Lord’s appearance in the dynasty wherein
the moon is himself the original person, the moon was in an overjoyous condition, so
by the grace of Kåñëa he could appear just as a full moon.
In an astronomical treatise by the name Khamäëikya, the constellations at the time
of the appearance of Lord Kåñëa are very nicely described. It is confirmed that the
child born at that auspicious moment was the Supreme Brahman or the Absolute
Truth.
Vasudeva saw that wonderful child born as a baby with four hands, holding
conchshell, club, disc, and lotus flower, decorated with the mark of Çrévatsa, wearing
the jeweled necklace of kaustubha stone, dressed in yellow silk, appearing dazzling
like a bright blackish cloud, wearing a helmet bedecked with the vaidürya stone,
valuable bracelets, earrings and similar other ornaments all over His body and an
abundance of hair on His head. Due to the extraordinary features of the child,
Vasudeva was struck with wonder. How could a newly born child be so decorated?
He could therefore understand that Lord Kåñëa had now appeared, and he became
overpowered by the occasion. Vasudeva very humbly wondered that although he was
an ordinary living entity conditioned by material nature and was externally
imprisoned by Kaàsa, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, Viñëu or Kåñëa, was
appearing as a child in his home, exactly in His original position. No earthly child is
born with four hands decorated with ornaments and nice clothing, fully equipped
with all the signs of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Over and over again,
Vasudeva glanced at his child, and he considered how to celebrate this auspicious
moment: “Generally, when a male child is born,” he thought, “people observe the
occasion with jubilant celebrations, and in my home, although I am imprisoned, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead has taken birth. How many millions of millions of
times should I be prepared to observe this auspicious ceremony!”
When Vasudeva, who is also called Änakadundubhi, was looking at his newborn
baby, he was so happy that he wanted to give many thousands of cows in charity to
the brähmaëas. According to the Vedic system, whenever there is an auspicious
ceremony in the kñatriya king’s palace, the king gives many things in charity. Cows
decorated with golden ornaments are delivered to the brähmaëas and sages.
Vasudeva wanted to perform a charitable ceremony to celebrate Kåñëa’s appearance,
but because he was shackled within the walls of Kaàsa’s prison, this was not possible.
Instead, within his mind he gave thousands of cows to the brähmaëas.
When Vasudeva was convinced that the newborn child was the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Himself, he bowed down with folded hands and began to offer Him
prayers. At that time Vasudeva was in the transcendental position, and he became
completely free from all fear of Kaàsa. The newborn baby was also flashing His
effulgence within the room in which He appeared.
Vasudeva then began to offer his prayers. “My dear Lord, I can understand who You
are. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul of all living entities
and the Absolute Truth. You have appeared in Your own eternal form which is
directly perceived by us. I understand that because I am afraid of Kaàsa, You have
appeared just to deliver me from that fear. You do not belong to this material world;
You are the same person who brings about the cosmic manifestation simply by
glancing over material nature.”
One may argue that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who creates the whole
cosmic manifestation simply by His glance, cannot come within the womb of Devaké,
the wife of Vasudeva. To eradicate this argument, Vasudeva said, “My dear Lord, it is
not a very wonderful thing that You appear within the womb of Devaké because the
creation was also made in that way. You were lying in the Causal Ocean as Mahä-
Viñëu, and by Your breathing process, innumerable universes came into existence.
Then You entered into each of the universes as Garbhodakaçäyé Viñëu. Then again
You expanded Yourself as Kñérodakaçäyé Viñëu and entered into the hearts of all
living entities and entered even within the atoms. Therefore Your entrance in the
womb of Devaké is understandable in the same way. You appear to have entered, but
You are simultaneously all-pervading. We can understand Your entrance and
nonentrance from material examples. The total material energy remains intact even
after being divided into sixteen elements. The material body is nothing but the
combination of the five gross elements—namely earth, water, fire, air and ether.
Whenever there is a material body, it appears that such elements are newly created,
but actually the elements are always existing outside of the body. Similarly, although
You appear as a child in the womb of Devaké, You are also existing outside. You are
always in Your abode, but still You can simultaneously expand Yourself into millions
of forms.
“One has to understand Your appearance with great intelligence because the
material energy is also emanating from You. You are the original source of the
material energy, just as the sun is the source of the sunshine. The sunshine cannot
cover the sun globe, nor can the material energy—being an emanation from You—
cover You. You appear to be in the three modes of material energy, but actually the
three modes of material energy cannot cover You. This is understood by the highly
intellectual philosophers. In other words, although You appear to be within the
material energy, You are never covered by it.”
We hear from the Vedic version that the Supreme Brahman exhibits His effulgence,
and therefore everything becomes illuminated. We can understand from Brahmasaàhitä
that the brahmajyoti, or the Brahman effulgence, emanates from the body of
the Supreme Lord. And from the Brahman effulgence, all creation takes place. It is
further stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that the Lord is also the support of the Brahman
effulgence. Originally He is the root cause of everything. But persons who are less
intelligent think that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes within this
material world, He accepts the material qualities. Such conclusions are not very
mature, but are made by the less intelligent.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is directly and indirectly existing everywhere;
He is outside this material creation, and He is also within it. He is within this
material creation not only as Garbhodakaçäyé Viñëu; He is also within the atom.
Existence is due to His presence. Nothing can be separated from His existence. In
the Vedic injunction we find that the Supreme Soul or the root cause of everything
has to be searched out because nothing exists independent of the Supreme Soul.
Therefore the material manifestation is also a transformation of His potency. Both
inert matter and the living force—soul—are emanations from Him. Only the foolish
conclude that when the Supreme Lord appears He accepts the conditions of matter.
Even if He appears to have accepted the material body, He is still not subjected to
any material condition. Kåñëa has therefore appeared and defeated all imperfect
conclusions about the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
“My Lord, Your appearance, existence and disappearance are beyond the influence
of the material qualities. Because Your Lordship is the controller of everything and
the resting place of the Supreme Brahman, there is nothing inconceivable or
contradictory in You. As You have said, material nature works under Your
superintendence. It is just like government officers working under the orders of the
chief executive. The influence of subordinate activities cannot affect You. The
Supreme Brahman and all phenomena are existing within You, and all the activities
of material nature are controlled by Your Lordship.
“You are called çuklam. Çuklam, or ‘whiteness’ is the symbolic representation of the
Absolute Truth because it is unaffected by the material qualities. Lord Brahmä is
called rakta, or red, because Brahmä represents the qualities of passion for creation.
Darkness is entrusted to Lord Çiva because he annihilates the cosmos. The creation,
annihilation and maintenance of this cosmic manifestation is conducted by Your
potencies, yet You are always unaffected by those qualities. As confirmed in the
Vedas, Harir hi nirguëaù säkñät: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always free
from all material qualities. It is also said that the qualities of passion and ignorance
are nonexistent in the person of the Supreme Lord.
“My Lord, You are the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead, the supreme
great, maintaining the order of this cosmic manifestation. And in spite of Your being
the supreme controller, You have so kindly appeared in my home. The purpose of
Your appearance is to kill the followers of the demonic rulers of the world who are in
the dress of royal princes but are actually demons. I am sure that You will kill all of
them and their followers and soldiers.
“I understand that You have appeared to kill the uncivilized Kaàsa and his followers.
But knowing that You were to appear to kill him and his followers, he has already
killed so many of Your predecessors, elder brothers. Now he is simply awaiting the
news of Your birth. As soon as he hears about it, he will immediately appear with all
kinds of weapons to kill You.”
After this prayer of Vasudeva, Devaké, the mother of Kåñëa, offered her prayers. She
was very frightened because of her brother’s atrocities. Devaké said, “My dear Lord,
Your eternal forms, like Näräyaëa, Lord Räma, Çeña, Varäha, Nåsiàha, Vämana,
Baladeva, and millions of similar incarnations emanating from Viñëu, are described
in the Vedic literature as original. You are original because all Your forms as
incarnations are outside of this material creation. Your form was existing before this
cosmic manifestation was created. Your forms are eternal and all-pervading. They
are self-effulgent, changeless and uncontaminated by the material qualities. Such
eternal forms are ever-cognizant and full of bliss; they are situated in transcendental
goodness and are always engaged in different pastimes. You are not limited to a
particular form only; all such transcendental eternal forms are self-sufficient. I can
understand that You are the Supreme Lord Viñëu.
“After many millions of years, when Lord Brahmä comes to the end of his life, the
annihilation of the cosmic manifestation takes place. At that time the five elements
—namely earth, water, fire, air and ether—enter into the mahat-tattva. The mahattattva
again enters, by the force of time, into the nonmanifested total material
energy; the total material energy enters into the energetic pradhäna, and the
pradhäna enters into You. Therefore after the annihilation of the whole cosmic
manifestation, You alone remain with Your transcendental name, form, quality and
paraphernalia.
“My Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are the director of
the unmanifested total energy, and the ultimate reservoir of the material nature. My
Lord, the whole cosmic manifestation is under the influence of time, beginning from
the moment up to the duration of the year. All act under Your direction. You are the
original director of everything and the reservoir of all potent energies.
“Therefore my Lord, I request You to save me from the cruel hands of the son of
Ugrasena, Kaàsa. I am praying to Your Lordship to please rescue me from this
fearful condition because You are always ready to give protection to Your servitors.”
The Lord has confirmed this statement in the Bhagavad-gétä by assuring Arjuna,
“You may declare to the world, My devotee shall never be vanquished.”
While thus praying to the Lord for rescue, mother Devaké expressed her motherly
affection: “I understand that this transcendental form is generally perceived in
meditation by the great sages, but I am still afraid because as soon as Kaàsa
understands that You have appeared, he might harm You. So I request that for the
time being You become invisible to our material eyes.” In other words, she requested
the Lord to assume the form of an ordinary child. “My only cause of fear from my
brother Kaàsa is due to Your appearance. My Lord Madhusüdana, Kaàsa may know
that You are already born. Therefore I request You to conceal this four-armed form
of Your Lordship which holds the four symbols of Viñëu—namely the conchshell,
the disc, the club and the lotus flower. My dear Lord, at the end of the annihilation
of the cosmic manifestation, You put the whole universe within Your abdomen; still
by Your unalloyed mercy You have appeared in my womb. I am surprised that You
imitate the activities of ordinary human beings just to please Your devotee.”
On hearing the prayers of Devaké, the Lord replied, “My dear mother, in the
millennium of Sväyambhuva Manu, My father Vasudeva was living as one of the
Prajäpatis, and his name at that time was Sutapä, and you were his wife named Påçni.
At that time, when Lord Brahmä was desiring to increase the population, he
requested you to generate offspring. You controlled your senses and performed
severe austerities. By practicing the breathing exercise of the yoga system, both you
and your husband could tolerate all the influences of the material laws: the rainy
season, the onslaught of the wind, and the scorching heat of the sunshine. You also
executed all religious principles. In this way you were able to cleanse your heart and
control the influence of material law. In executing your austerity, you used to eat
only the leaves of the trees which fell to the ground. Then with steady mind and
controlled sex drive, you worshiped Me, desiring some wonderful benediction from
Me. Both of you practiced severe austerities for 12,000 years, by the calculation of
the demigods. During that time, your mind was always absorbed in Me. When you
were executing devotional service and always thinking of Me within your heart, I
was very much pleased with you. O sinless mother, your heart is therefore always
pure. At that time also I appeared before you in this form just to fulfill your desire,
and I asked you to ask whatever you desired. At that time you wished to have Me
born as your son. Although you saw Me personally, instead of asking for your
complete liberation from the material bondage, under the influence of My energy,
you asked Me to become your son.”
In other words, the Lord selected His mother and father—namely Påçni and Sutapä
—specifically to appear in the material world. Whenever the Lord comes as a human
being, He must have someone as a mother and father, so He selected Påçni and
Sutapä perpetually as His mother and father. And on account of this, both Påçni and
Sutapä could not ask the Lord for liberation. Liberation is not so important as the
transcendental loving service of the Lord. The Lord could have awarded Påçni and
Sutapä immediate liberation, but He preferred to keep them within this material
world for His different appearances, as will be explained in the following verses. On
receiving the benediction from the Lord to become His father and mother, both
Påçni and Sutapä returned from the activities of austerity and lived as husband and
wife in order to beget a child who was the Supreme Lord Himself.
In due course of time Påçni became pregnant and gave birth to the child. The Lord
spoke to Devaké and Vasudeva: “At that time My name was Påçnigarbha. In the next
millennium also you took birth as Aditi and Kaçyapa, and I became your child of the
name Upendra. At that time My form was just like a dwarf, and for this reason I was
known as Vämanadeva. I gave you the benediction that I would take birth as your
son three times. The first time I was known as Påçnigarbha, born of Påçni and
Sutapä, the next birth I was Upendra born of Aditi and Kaçyapa, and now for the
third time I am born as Kåñëa from you, Devaké and Vasudeva. I appeared in this
Viñëu form just to convince you that I am the same Supreme Personality of Godhead
again taken birth. I could have appeared just like an ordinary child, but in that way
you would not believe that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, have taken birth
in your womb. My dear father and mother, you have therefore raised Me many times
as your child, with great affection and love, and I am therefore very pleased and
obliged to you. And I assure you that this time you shall go back to home, back to
Godhead, on account of your perfection in your mission. I know you are very
concerned about Me and afraid of Kaàsa. Therefore I order you to take Me
immediately to Gokula and replace Me with the daughter who has just been born to
Yaçodä.”
Having spoken thus in the presence of His father and mother, the Lord turned
Himself into an ordinary child and remained silent.
Being ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva attempted to take
his son from the delivery room, and exactly at that time, a daughter was born of
Nanda and Yaçodä. She was Yogamäyä, the internal potency of the Lord. By the
influence of this internal potency, Yogamäyä, all the residents of Kaàsa’s palace,
especially the doorkeepers, were overwhelmed with deep sleep, and all the palace
doors opened, although they were barred and shackled with iron chains. The night
was very dark, but as soon as Vasudeva took Kåñëa on his lap and went out, he could
see everything just as in the sunlight.
In the Caitanya-caritämåta it is said that Kåñëa is just like sunlight, and wherever
there is Kåñëa, the illusory energy, which is compared to darkness, cannot remain.
When Vasudeva was carrying Kåñëa, the darkness of the night disappeared. All the
prison doors automatically opened. At the same time there was a thunder in the sky
and severe rainfall. While Vasudeva was carrying his son Kåñëa in the falling rain,
Lord Çeña in the shape of a serpent spread His hood over the head of Vasudeva so
that he would not be hampered by the rainfall. Vasudeva came onto the bank of the
Yamunä and saw that the water of the Yamunä was roaring with waves and that the
whole span was full of foam. Still, in that furious feature, the river gave passage to
Vasudeva to cross, just as the great Indian Ocean gave a path to Lord Räma when He
was bridging over the gulf. In this way Vasudeva crossed the river Yamunä. On the
other side, he went to the place of Nanda Mahäräja situated in Gokula, where he
saw that all the cowherd men were fast asleep. He took the opportunity of silently
entering into the house of Yaçodä, and without difficulty he replaced his son, taking
away the baby girl newly born in the house of Yaçodä. Then, after entering the house
very silently and exchanging the boy with the girl, he again returned to the prison of
Kaàsa and silently put the girl on the lap of Devaké. He again clamped the shackles
on himself so that Kaàsa could not recognize that so many things had happened.
Mother Yaçodä understood that a child was born of her, but because she was very
tired from the labor of childbirth, she was fast asleep. When she awoke, she could
not remember whether she had given birth to a male or female child.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Third Chapter of Kåñëa, “Birth of Lord
Kåñëa.”
4 / Kaàsa Begins His Persecutions
After Vasudeva adjusted all the doors and gates, the gatekeepers awoke and heard
the newborn child crying. Kaàsa was waiting to hear the news of the child’s birth,
and the gatekeepers immediately approached him and informed him that the child
was born. At that time, Kaàsa got up from his bed very quickly and exclaimed, “Now
the cruel death of my life is born!” Kaàsa became perplexed now that his death was
approaching, and his hair stood on end. Immediately he proceeded toward the place
where the child was born.
Devaké, on seeing her brother approaching, prayed in a very meek attitude to Kaàsa:
“My dear brother, please do not kill this female child. I promise that this child will be
the wife of your son; therefore don’t kill her. You are not to be killed by any female
child. That was the omen. You are to be killed by a male child, so please do not kill
her. My dear brother, you have killed so many of my children who were just born,
shining as the sun. That is not your fault. You have been advised by demoniac
friends to kill my children. But now I beg you to excuse this girl. Let her live as my
daughter.”
Kaàsa was so cruel that he did not listen to the beautiful prayers of his sister Devaké.
He forcibly grabbed the newborn child to rebuke his sister and attempted to dash her
on the stone mercilessly. This is a graphic example of a cruel brother who could
sacrifice all relationships for the sake of personal gratification. But immediately the
child slipped out of his hands, went up in the sky and appeared with eight arms as
the younger sister of Viñëu. She was decorated with a nice dress and flower garlands
and ornaments; in her eight hands she held a bow, lancet, arrows, bell, conchshell,
disc, club and shield.
Seeing the appearance of the child (who was actually the goddess Durgä), all the
demigods from different planets like Siddhaloka, Cäraëaloka, Gandharvaloka,
Apsaroloka, Kinnaraloka, and Uragaloka presented her articles and began to offer
their respective prayers. From above, the goddess addressed Kaàsa: “You rascal, how
can you kill me? The child who will kill you is already born before me somewhere
within this world. Don’t be so cruel to your poor sister.” After this appearance, the
goddess Durgä became known by various names in various parts of the world.
After hearing these words, Kaàsa became very much overwhelmed with fear. Out of
pity, he immediately released Vasudeva and Devaké from the bondage of their
shackles and very politely began to address them. He said, “My dear sister and
brother-in-law, I have acted just like a demon in killing my own nephews I have
given up all consideration of our intimate relationship. I do not know what will be
the result of these acts of mine. Probably I shall be sent to the hell where killers of
the brähmaëas go. I am surprised, however, that the celestial prophecy has not come
true. False propaganda is not found only in the human society. Now it appears that
even the celestial denizens speak lies. Because I believed in the words of the celestial
denizens, I have committed so many sins by killing the children of my sister. My dear
Vasudeva and Devaké, you are both very great souls. I have nothing to instruct you,
but still I request that you not be sorry for the death of your children. Every one of
us is under the control of superior power, and that superior power does not allow us
to remain together. We are bound to be separated from our friends and relatives in
due course of time. But we must know for certain that even after the disappearance
of the different material bodies, the soul remains intact eternally. For example, there
are many pots made of earthly clay, and they are prepared and also broken. But in
spite of this, the earth remains as it is perpetually. Similarly, the bodies of the soul
under different conditions are made and destroyed, but the spirit soul remains
eternally. So there is nothing to lament over. Everyone should understand that this
material body is different from the spirit soul, and so long as one does not come to
that understanding, he is sure to accept the processes of transmigration from one
body to another. My dear sister Devaké, you are so gentle and kind. Please excuse me
—don’t be aggrieved by the death of your children, which I have caused. Actually
this was not done by me because all these are predestined activities. One has to act
according to the predestined plan, even unwillingly. People misunderstand that with
the end of the body, the self dies, or they think that one can kill another living
entity. All these misconceptions oblige one to accept the conditions of material
existence. In other words, as long as one is not firmly convinced of the eternality of
the soul, one is subjected to the tribulation of being killer and killed. My dear sister
Devaké and brother-in-law Vasudeva, kindly excuse the atrocities I have committed
against you. I am very poor-hearted, and you are so great-hearted, so take compassion
upon me and excuse me.”
While Kaàsa was speaking to his brother-in-law and sister, tears flowed from his
eyes and he fell down at their feet. Believing the words of Durgä-devé, whom he had
tried to kill, Kaàsa immediately released his brother-in-law and sister. He personally
unlocked the iron shackles and very sympathetically showed his friendship, just like
a family member.
When Devaké saw her brother so repentant, she also became pacified and forgot all
his atrocious activities against her children. Vasudeva also, forgetting all past
incidents, spoke smilingly with his brother-in-law. Vasudeva told Kaàsa, “My dear
fortunate brother-in-law, what you are saying about the material body and the soul is
correct. Every living entity is born ignorant, understanding this material body to be
his self. This conception of life is due to ignorance, and on the basis of this
ignorance we create enmity or friendship. Lamentation, jubilation, fearfulness, envy,
greed, illusion and madness are different features of our material concept of life. A
person influenced like this engages in enmity due only to the material body. Being
engaged in such activities, we forget our eternal relationship with the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.”
Vasudeva took the opportunity of Kaàsa’s benevolence and informed him that his
atheistic activities were also due to this misconception of life—namely taking the
material body to be the self. When Vasudeva talked with Kaàsa in such an
illuminating way, Kaàsa became very pleased, and his guilt for killing his nephews
subdued. With the permission of his sister Devaké and brother-in-law Vasudeva, he
returned to his home with a relieved mind.
But the next day Kaàsa called all his counsellors together and narrated to them all
the incidents that had happened the night before. All the counsellors of Kaàsa were
demons and eternal enemies of the demigods, so they became depressed upon
hearing their master speak of the night’s events. And although they were not very
much experienced or learned, they began to give instructions to Kaàsa as follows:
“Dear sir, let us now make arrangements to kill all children who were born within
the last ten days in all towns, countries, villages and pasturing grounds. Let us
execute this plan indiscriminately. We think that the demigods cannot do anything
against us if we perform these atrocities. They are always afraid of fighting with us,
and even if they wish to check our activities, they will not dare to do so. Because of
the immeasurable strength of your bow, they fear you. Indeed, we have practical
experience that whenever you stood to fight with them and began to shower your
arrows on them, they immediately begin to flee in all directions just to save their
lives. Many of the demigods were unable to fight with you, and they immediately
surrendered themselves unto you by opening their turbans and the flag on their
heads. With folded hands they begged you to spare them and said, ‘My lord, we are
all afraid of your strength. Please release us from this dangerous fight.’ We have also
seen many times that you would never kill such surrendered fighters when they were
all fearful, their bows, arrows and chariots broken, forgetful of their military
activities and unable to fight with you. So actually we have nothing to fear from
these demigods. They are very proud of being great fighters in peacetime outside of
the warfield, but actually they cannot show any talent or military power on the
warfield. Although Lord Viñëu, Lord Çiva and Lord Brahmä are always ready to help
the demigods headed by Indra, we have no reason to be afraid of them. As far as
Lord Viñëu is concerned, He has already hidden Himself within the hearts of all
living entities, and He cannot come out. As far as Lord Çiva is concerned, he has
renounced all activities; he has already entered into the forest. And Lord Brahmä is
always engaged in different types of austerities and meditation. And what to speak of
Indra—he is a straw in comparison to your strength. Therefore we have nothing to
fear from all these demigods. But we must not neglect them beause the demigods are
our determined enemies. We must be careful to protect ourselves. To root them out
from their very existence, we should just engage ourselves in your service and be
always ready for your command.”
The demons continued to say: “If there is some disease in the body which is
neglected, it becomes incurable. Similarly, when one is not careful about restraining
the senses and lets them loose, it is then very difficult to control them at all.
Therefore, we must always be very careful of the demigods before they get too strong
to be subdued. The foundation of strength of the demigods is Lord Viñëu, because
the ultimate goal of all religious principles is to satisfy Him. The Vedic injunctions,
the brähmaëas, the cows, austerities, sacrifices, performances of charity and
distribution of wealth are all for the satisfaction of Lord Viñëu. So let us immediately
begin by killing all the brähmaëas who are in charge of the Vedic knowledge and the
great sages who are in charge of sacrificial ritualistic performances. Let us kill all the
cows which are the source of butter which is so necessary for performing sacrifices.
Please give us your permission to kill all these creatures.”
Actually the limbs of the transcendental body of Lord Viñëu are the brähmaëas, the
cows, Vedic knowledge, austerity, truthfulness, sense and mind control, faithfulness,
charity, tolerance and performance of sacrifices. Lord Viñëu is situated in everyone’s
heart and is the leader of all demigods, including Lord Çiva and Lord Brahmä. “We
think that to kill Lord Viñëu is to persecute the great sages and brähmaëas,” said the
ministers.
Thus being advised by the demonic ministers, Kaàsa, who was from the very
beginning the greatest rascal, decided to persecute the brähmaëas and Vaiñëavas,
being entrapped by the shackles of all-devouring, eternal time. He ordered the
demons to harass all kinds of saintly persons, and then he entered his house. The
adherents of Kaàsa were all influenced by the modes of passion as well as illusioned
by the modes of ignorance, and their only business was to create enmity with saintly
persons. Such activities can only reduce the duration of life. The demons accelerated
the process and invited their deaths as soon as possible. The result of persecuting
saintly persons is not only untimely death. The act is so offensive that the actor also
gradually loses his beauty, his fame and his religious principles, and his promotion to
higher planets is also checked. Driven by various kinds of mental concoctions, the
demons diminish all kinds of welfare. An offense at the lotus feet of the devotees
and brähmaëas is a greater offense than that committed at the lotus feet of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus a godless civilization becomes the source of
all calamities.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fourth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kaàsa
Begins His Persecutions.”
5 / Meeting of Nanda and Vasudeva
Although Kåñëa was the real son of Vasudeva and Devaké, because of Kaàsa’s
atrocious activities Vasudeva could not enjoy the birth ceremony of his son. But
Nanda Mahäräja, the foster father, celebrated the birth ceremony of Kåñëa very
joyfully. The next day, it was declared that a male child was born of Yaçodä.
According to Vedic custom, Nanda Mahäräja called for learned astrologers and
brähmaëas to perform the birth ceremony. After the birth of a child, the astrologers
calculate the moment of the birth and make a horoscope of the child’s future life.
Another ceremony takes place after the birth of the child: the family members take
baths, cleanse themselves and decorate themselves with ornaments and garlands;
then they come before the child and the astrologer to hear of the future life of the
child. Nanda Mahäräja and other members of the family dressed and sat down in
front of the birthplace. All the brähmaëas who were assembled there on this
occasion chanted auspicious mantras, according to the rituals, while the astrologers
performed the birth ceremony. All the demigods are also worshiped on this occasion,
as well as the forefathers of the family. Nanda Mahäräja distributed 200,000 well
decorated, dressed and ornamented cows to the brähmaëas. He not only gave cows
in charity, but hills of grains, decorated with golden-bordered garments and many
ornaments.
In the material world we possess riches and wealth in many ways, but sometimes not
in very honest and pious ways, because that is the nature of accumulating wealth.
According to Vedic injunction, therefore, such wealth should be purified by giving
cows and gold in charity to the brähmaëas. A newborn child is also purified by
giving grains in charity to the brähmaëas. In this material world it is to be
understood that we are always living in a contaminated state. We therefore have to
purify the duration of our lives, our possession of wealth and ourselves. The duration
of life is purified by taking daily bath and cleansing the body inside and outside and
accepting the ten kinds of purificatory processes. By austerities, by worship of the
Lord, and by distribution of charity, we can purify the possession of wealth. We can
purify ourselves by studying the Vedas, by striving for self-realization and by
understanding the Supreme Absolute Truth. It is therefore stated in the Vedic
literature that by birth everyone is born a çüdra, and by accepting the purificatory
process one becomes twice-born. By studies of the Vedas one can become vipra,
which is the preliminary qualification for becoming a brähmaëa. When one
understands the Absolute Truth in perfection, he is called a brähmaëa. And when
the brähmaëa reaches further perfection, he becomes a Vaiñëava or a devotee.
In that ceremony, all the brähmaëas assembled began to chant different kinds of
Vedic mantras to invoke all good fortune for the child. There are different kinds of
chanting known as süta, mägadha, vandé and virudävalé. Along with this chanting of
mantras and songs, bugles and kettledrums sounded outside the house. On this
occasion, the joyous vibrations could be heard in all the pasturing grounds and all
the houses. Within and outside of the houses there were varieties of artistic
paintings, done with rice pulp, and scented water was sprinkled everywhere, even on
the roads and streets. Ceilings and roofs were decorated with different kinds of flags,
festoons and green leaves. The gates were made of green leaves and flowers. All the
cows, bulls and calves were smeared with a mixture of oil and turmeric and painted
with minerals like red oxide, yellow clay and manganese. They wore garlands of
peacock feathers, and were covered with nice colored dresses and gold necklaces.
When all the ecstatic cowherd men heard that Nanda Mahäräja, father of Kåñëa,
was celebrating the birth ceremony of his son, they became spontaneously joyful.
They dressed themselves with very costly garments and ornamented their bodies
with different kinds of earrings and necklaces and wore great turbans on their heads.
After dressing themselves in this gorgeous way, they took various kinds of
presentations and thus approached the house of Nanda Mahäräja.
As soon as they heard that mother Yaçodä had given birth to a child, all the cowherd
women became overwhelmed with joy, and they also dressed themselves with various
kinds of costly garments and ornaments and smeared scented cosmetics on their
bodies.
As the dust on the lotus flower exhibits the exquisite beauty of the flower, all the
gopés (cowherd girls) applied the dust of kuìkuma on their lotus-like faces. These
beautiful gopés took their different presentations and very soon reached the house of
Mahäräja Nanda. Overburdened with their heavy hips and swollen breasts, the gopés
could not proceed very quickly towards the house of Nanda Mahäräja, but out of
ecstatic love for Kåñëa they began to proceeded as quickly as possible. Their ears
were decorated with pearl rings, their necks were decorated with jewel padlocks,
their lips and eyes were decorated with different kinds of lipstick and ointment, and
their hands were decorated with nice golden bangles. As they were very hastily
passing over the stone road, the flower garlands which were decorating their bodies
fell to the ground, and it appeared that a shower of flowers was falling from the sky.
From the movement of the different kinds of ornaments on their bodies, they were
looking still more beautiful. In this way, they all reached the house of Nanda-Yaçodä
and blessed the child: “Dear child, You live long just to protect us.” While they were
blessing child Kåñëa in this way, they offered a mixture of turmeric powder with oil,
yogurt, milk and water. They not only sprinkled this mixture on the body of child
Kåñëa but on all other persons who were present there. Also on that auspicious
occasion, there were different bands of expert musicians playing.
When the cowherd men saw the pastimes of the cowherd women, they became very
joyful, and in response they also began to throw yogurt, milk, clarified butter and
water upon the bodies of the gopés. Then both parties began to throw butter on each
other’s bodies. Nanda Mahäräja was also very happy to see the pastimes of the
cowherd men and women, and he became very liberal in giving charity to the
different singers who were assembled there. Some singers were reciting great verses
from the Upaniñads and Puräëas, some were glorifying the family ancestors, and
some were singing very sweet songs. There were also many learned brähmaëas
present, and Nanda Mahäräja, being very satisfied on this occasion, began to give
them different kinds of garments, ornaments, and cows in charity.
It is very important to note in this connection how wealthy the inhabitants of
Våndävana were simply by raising cows. All the cowherd men belonged to the vaiçya
community, and their business was to protect the cows and cultivate crops. By their
dress and ornaments and by their behavior, it appears that although they were in a
small village, they still were rich in material possessions. They possessed such an
abundance of various kinds of milk products that they were throwing butter lavishly
on each other’s bodies without restriction. Their wealth was in milk, yogurt, clarified
butter and many other milk products, and by trading their agricultural products,
they were rich in various kinds of jewelry, ornaments and costly dresses. Not only
did they possess all these things, but they could give them away in charity, as did
Nanda Mahäräja.
Thus Nanda Mahäräja, the foster father of Lord Kåñëa, began to satisfy the desires of
all the men assembled there. He respectfully received them and gave them in charity
whatever they desired. The learned brähmaëas, who had no other source of income,
were completely dependent on the vaiçya and kñatriya communities for their
maintenance, and they received gifts on such festive occasions as birthdays,
marriages, etc. While Nanda Mahäräja was worshiping Lord Viñëu on this occasion
and was trying to satisfy all the people there, his only desire was that the newborn
child Kåñëa would be happy. Nanda Mahäräja had no knowledge that this child was
the origin of Viñëu, but he was praying to Lord Viñëu to protect Him.
Rohiëédevé, mother of Balaräma, was the most fortunate wife of Vasudeva. She was
away from her husband, yet just to congratulate Mahäräja Nanda on the occasion of
the birth ceremony of his son, Kåñëa, she dressed herself very nicely. Wearing a
garland, a necklace and other bodily ornaments, she appeared on the scene and
moved hither and thither. According to the Vedic system, a woman whose husband
is not at home does not dress herself very nicely. But although Rohiëé’s husband was
away, she still dressed herself on this occasion.
From the opulence of the birth ceremony of Kåñëa, it is very clear that at that time
Våndävana was rich in every respect. Because Lord Kåñëa took birth in the house of
King Nanda and mother Yaçodä, the goddess of fortune was obliged to manifest her
opulences in Våndävana. It appeared that Våndävana had already become a site for
the pastimes of the goddess of fortune.
After the birth ceremony, Nanda Mahäräja decided to go to Mathurä to pay the
annual tax to the government of Kaàsa. Before leaving, he called for the able
cowherd men of the village and asked them to take care of Våndävana in his
absence. When Nanda Mahäräja arrived in Mathurä, Vasudeva got the news and was
very eager to congratulate his friend. He immediately went to the place where
Nanda Mahäräja was staying. When Vasudeva saw Nanda, he felt that he had
regained his life. Nanda, overwhelmed with joy, immediately stood up and embraced
Vasudeva. Vasudeva was received very warmly and offered a nice place to sit. At
that time Vasudeva was anxious about his two sons who had been put under the
protection of Nanda without Nanda’s knowledge. With great anxiety, Vasudeva
inquired about them. Both Balaräma and Kåñëa were the sons of Vasudeva. Balaräma
was transferred to the womb of Rohiëé, Vasudeva’s own wife, but Rohiëé was kept
under the protection of Nanda Mahäräja. Kåñëa was personally delivered to Yaçodä
and exchanged with her daughter. Nanda Mahäräja knew that Balaräma was the son
of Vasudeva, although he did not know that Kåñëa was also Vasudeva’s son. But
Vasudeva was aware of this fact and inquired very eagerly about Kåñëa and
Balaräma.
Vasudeva then addressed him, “My dear brother, you were old enough and very
anxious to beget a son, and yet you had none. Now by the grace of the Lord you are
fortunate to have a very nice son. I think that this incident is very auspicious for
you. Dear friend, I was imprisoned by Kaàsa, and now I am released; therefore this is
another birth for me. I had no hope of seeing you again, but by God’s grace I can see
you.” Vasudeva then expressed his anxiety about Kåñëa. Kåñëa was sent incognito to
the bed of mother Yaçodä, and after very pompously celebrating His birth ceremony,
Nanda went to Mathurä. So Vasudeva was very pleased and said, “This is a new birth
for me.” He never expected that Kåñëa would live because all his other sons were
killed by Kaàsa.
Vasudeva continued, “My dear friend, it is very difficult for us to live together.
Although we have our family and relatives, sons and daughters, by nature’s way we
are generally separated from one another. The reason for this is that every living
entity appears on this earth under different pressures of fruitive activities; although
they assemble together, there is no certainty of their remaining together for a long
time. According to one’s fruitive activities, one has to act differently and thereby be
separated. For example, many plants and creepers are floating on the waves of the
ocean. Sometimes they come together and sometimes they separate forever: one
plant goes one way and another plant goes another. Similarly, our family assembly
may be very nice while we are living together, but after some time, in the course of
the waves of time, we are separated.”
The purport of this expression by Vasudeva is this: although he had eight sons born
in the womb of Devaké, unfortunately they were all gone. He could not even keep his
one son Kåñëa with him. Vasudeva was feeling His separation, but he could not
express the real fact. “Please tell me about the welfare of Våndävana,” he said. “You
have many animals—are they happy? Are they getting sufficient grass and water?
Please also let me know whether the place where you are now living is undisturbed
and peaceful.” This inquiry was made by Vasudeva because he was very anxious
about Kåñëa’s safety. He knew that Kaàsa and his followers were trying to kill Kåñëa
by sending various kinds of demons. They had already resolved that all children born
within ten days of the birthday of Kåñëa should be killed. Because Vasudeva was so
anxious about Kåñëa, he inquired about the safety of His residence. He also inquired
about Balaräma and His mother Rohiëé, who were entrusted to the care of Nanda
Mahäräja. Vasudeva also reminded Nanda Mahäräja that Balaräma did not know His
real father. “He knows you as His father. And now you have another child, Kåñëa,
and I think you are taking very nice care for both of Them.” It is also significant that
Vasudeva inquired about the welfare of Nanda Mahäräja’s animals. The animals, and
especially the cows, were protected exactly in the manner of one’s children.
Vasudeva was a kñatriya, and Nanda Mahäräja was a vaiçya. It is the duty of the
kñatriya to give protection to the citizens of mankind, and it is the duty of the
vaiçyas to give protection to the cows. The cows are as important as the citizens. Just
as the human citizens should be given all kinds of protection, so the cows also should
be given full protection.
Vasudeva continued to say that the maintenance of religious principles, economic
development and the satisfactory execution of meeting the demands of the senses
depend on cooperation among relatives, nations and all humanity. Therefore, it is
everyone’s duty to see that his fellow citizens and the cows are not put into difficulty.
One should see to the peace and comfort of his fellow man and the animals. The
development of religious principles, economic development and sense gratification
can then be achieved without difficulty. Vasudeva expressed his sorrow due to not
being able to give protection to his own sons born of Devaké. He was thinking that
religious principles, economic development and the satisfaction of his senses were
therefore all lost.
On hearing this, Nanda Mahäräja replied, “My dear Vasudeva, I know that you are
very much aggrieved because the cruel king Kaàsa has killed all your sons born of
Devaké. Although the last child was a daughter, Kaàsa could not kill her, and she
has entered into the celestial planets. My dear friend, do not be aggrieved; we are all
being controlled by our past unseen activities. Everyone is subjected to his past
deeds, and one who is conversant with the philosophy of karma and its reaction is a
man in knowledge. Such a person will not be aggrieved at any incident, happy or
miserable.”
Vasudeva then replied, “My dear Nanda, if you have already paid the government
taxes, then return soon to your place, because I think that there may be some
disturbances in Gokula.”
After the friendly conversation between Nanda Mahäräja and Vasudeva, Vasudeva
returned to his home. The cowherd men headed by Nanda Mahäräja, who had come
to Mathurä to pay their taxes, also returned.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Meeting of
Nanda and Vasudeva.”
6 / Pütanä Killed
While Nanda Mahäräja was returning home, he considered Vasudeva’s warning that
there might be some disturbance in Gokula. Certainly the advice was friendly and
not false. So Nanda thought, “There is some truth in it.” Therefore, out of fear, he
began to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is quite natural for a
devotee in danger to think of Kåñëa because he has no other shelter. When a child is
in danger, he takes shelter of his mother or father. Similarly, a devotee is always
under the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but when he specifically
sees some danger, he remembers the Lord very rapidly.
After consulting with his demonic ministers, Kaàsa instructed a witch named
Pütanä, who knew the black art of killing small children by ghastly sinful methods,
to kill all kinds of children in the cities, villages and pasturing grounds. Such witches
can play their black art only where there is no chanting or hearing of the holy name
of Kåñëa. It is said that wherever the chanting of the holy name of Kåñëa is done,
even negligently, all bad elements—witches, ghosts, and dangerous calamities—
immediately disappear. And this is certainly true of the place where the chanting of
the holy name of Kåñëa is done seriously—especially in Våndävana when the
Supreme Lord was personally present. Therefore, the doubts of Nanda Mahäräja
were certainly based on affection for Kåñëa. Actually there was no danger from the
activities of Pütanä, despite her powers. Such witches are called khecaré, which
means they can fly in the sky. This black art of witchcraft is still practiced by some
women in the remote northwestern side of India. They can transfer themselves from
one place to another on the branch of an uprooted tree. Pütanä knew this
witchcraft, and therefore she is described in the Bhägavatam as khecaré.
Pütanä entered the county of Gokula, the residential quarter of Nanda Mahäräja,
without permission. Dressing herself just like a beautiful woman, she entered the
house of mother Yaçodä. She appeared very beautiful with raised hips, nicely swollen
breasts, earrings, and flowers in her hair. She looked especially beautiful on account
of her thin waist. She was glancing at everyone with very attractive looks and
smiling face, and all the residents of Våndävana were captivated. The innocent
cowherd women thought that she was a goddess of fortune appearing in Våndävana
with a lotus flower in her hand. It seemed to them that she had personally come to
see Kåñëa, who is her husband. Because of her exquisite beauty, no one checked her
movement, and therefore she freely entered the house of Nanda Mahäräja. Pütanä,
the killer of many, many children, found baby Kåñëa lying on a small bed, and she
could at once perceive that the baby was hiding His unparalleled potencies. Pütanä
thought, “This child is so powerful that He can destroy the whole universe
immediately.”
Pütanä’s understanding is very significant. The Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Kåñëa, is situated in everyone’s heart. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that He gives
one necessary intelligence, and He also causes one to forget. Pütanä was immediately
aware that the child whom she was observing in the house of Nanda Mahäräja was
the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. He was lying there as a small baby, but
that does not mean that He was less powerful. The materialistic theory that Godworship
is anthropomorphic is not correct. No living being can become God by
undergoing meditation or austerities. God is always God. Kåñëa as a child-baby is as
complete as He is as a full-fledged youth. The Mäyävädé theory holds that the living
entity was formerly God but has now become overwhelmed by the influence of mäyä.
Therefore they say that presently he is not God, but when the influence of mäyä is
taken away, then he again becomes God. This theory cannot be applied to the
minute living entities. The living entities are minute parts and parcels of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; they are minute particles or sparks of the supreme
fire, but are not the original fire, or Kåñëa. Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, even from the beginning of His appearance in the house of Vasudeva and
Devaké.
Kåñëa showed the nature of a small baby and closed His eyes, as if to avoid the face
of Pütanä. This closing of the eyes is interpreted and studied in different ways by the
devotees. Some say that Kåñëa closed His eyes because He did not like to see the face
of Pütanä, who had killed so many children and who had now come to kill Him.
Others say that something extraordinary was being dictated to her, and in order to
give her assurance, Kåñëa closed His eyes so that she would not be frightened. And
yet others interpret in this way: Kåñëa appeared to kill the demons and give
protection to the devotees, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä: pariträëäya
sädhünäà véëäçäya ca duñkåtäm. The first demon to be killed was a woman.
According to Vedic rules, the killing of a woman, a brähmaëa, cows or of a child is
forbidden. Kåñëa was obliged to kill the demon Pütanä, and because the killing of a
woman is forbidden according to Vedic Çästra, He could not help but close His eyes.
Another interpretation is that Kåñëa closed His eyes because He simply took Pütanä
to be His nurse. Pütanä came to Kåñëa just to offer her breast for the Lord to suck.
Kåñëa is so merciful that even though He knew Pütanä was there to kill Him, He
took her as His nurse or mother.
There are seven kinds of mothers according to Vedic injunction: the real mother,
the wife of a teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a king, the wife of a brähmaëa,
the cow, the nurse, and the mother earth. Because Pütanä came to take Kåñëa on her
lap and offer her breast’s milk to be sucked by Him, she was accepted by Kåñëa as one
of His mothers. That is considered to be another reason He closed His eyes: He had
to kill a nurse or mother. But His killing of His mother or nurse was no different
from His love for His real mother or foster mother Yaçodä. We further understand
from Vedic information that Pütanä was also treated as a mother and given the same
facility as Yaçodä. As Yaçodä was given liberation from the material world, so Pütanä
was also given liberation. When the baby Kåñëa closed His eyes, Pütanä took Him on
her lap. She did not know that she was holding death personified. If a person
mistakes a snake for a rope, he dies. Similarly, Pütanä killed so many babies before
meeting Kåñëa, but now she was accepting the snake that would kill her
immediately.
When Pütanä was taking baby Kåñëa on her lap, both Yaçodä and Rohiëé were
present, but they did not forbid her because she was so beautifully dressed and
because she showed motherly affection towards Kåñëa. They could not understand
that she was a sword within a decorated case. Pütanä had smeared a very powerful
poison on her breasts, and immediately after taking the baby on her lap, she pushed
her breastly nipple within His mouth. She was hoping that as soon as He would suck
her breast, He would die. But baby Kåñëa very quickly took the nipple in anger. He
sucked the milk-poison along with the life air of the demon. In other words, Kåñëa
simultaneously sucked the milk from her breast and killed her by sucking out her life.
Kåñëa is so merciful that because the demon Pütanä came to offer her breast-milk to
Him, He fulfilled her desire and accepted her activity as motherly. But to stop her
from further nefarious activities, He immediately killed her. And because the demon
was killed by Kåñëa, she got liberation. When Kåñëa sucked out her very breath,
Pütanä fell down on the ground, spread her arms and legs and began to cry, “Oh
child, leave me, leave me!” She was crying loudly and perspiring, and her whole body
became wet.
As she died, screaming, there was a tremendous vibration both on the earth and in
the sky, in all directions, and people thought that thunderbolts were falling. Thus
the nightmare of the Pütanä witch was over, and she assumed her real feature as a
great demon. She opened her fierce mouth and spread her arms and legs all over. She
fell exactly as Våträsura when struck by the thunderbolt of Indra. The long hair on
her head was scattered all over her body. Her fallen body extended up to twelve
miles and smashed all the trees to pieces, and everyone was struck with wonder upon
seeing this gigantic body. Her teeth appeared just like ploughed roads, and her
nostrils appeared just like mountain caves. Her breasts appeared like small hills, and
her hair was a vast reddish bush. Her eye sockets appeared like blind wells, and her
two thighs appeared like two banks of a river; her two hands appeared like two
strongly constructed bridges, and her abdomen seemed like a dried-up lake. All the
cowherd men and women became struck with awe and wonder upon seeing this. And
the tumultuous sound of her falling shocked their brains and ears and made their
hearts beat strongly.
When the gopés saw little Kåñëa fearlessly playing on Pütanä’s lap, they very quickly
came and picked Him up. Mother Yaçodä, Rohiëé, and other elderly gopés
immediately performed the auspicious rituals by taking the tail of a cow and
circumambulating His body. The child was completely washed with the urine of a
cow, and the dust created by the hooves of the cows was thrown all over His body.
This was all just to save little Kåñëa from future inauspicious accidents. This
incident gives us a clear indication of how important the cow is to the family, society
and to living beings in general. The transcendental body of Kåñëa did not require
any protection, but to instruct us on the importance of the cow, the Lord was
smeared over with cow dung, washed with the urine of a cow, and sprinkled with the
dust upraised by the walking of the cows.
After this purificatory process, the gopés, headed by mother Yaçodä and Rohiëé,
chanted twelve names of Viñëu to give Kåñëa’s body full protection from all evil
influences. They washed their hands and feet and sipped water three times, as is the
custom before chanting mantra. They chanted as follows: “My dear Kåñëa, may the
Lord who is known as Maëimän protect Your thighs; may Lord Viñëu who is known
as Yajïa protect Your legs; may Lord Acyuta protect Your arms; may Lord Hayagréva
protect Your abdomen; may Lord Keçava protect Your heart; may Lord Viñëu protect
Your arms; may Lord Urukrama protect Your face; may Lord Éçvara protect Your
head; may Lord Cakradhara protect Your front; may Lord Gadädhara protect Your
back; may Lord Madhusüdana who carries a bow in His hand protect Your eyesight;
may Lord Viñëu with His conchshell protect Your left side; may the Personality of
Godhead Upendra protect You from above, and may Lord Tärkñya protect You from
below the earth; may Lord Haladhara protect You from all sides; may the Personality
of Godhead known as Håñékeça protect all Your senses; may Lord Näräyaëa protect
Your breath; and may the Lord of Çvetadvépa, Näräyaëa, protect Your heart; may
Lord Yogeçvara protect Your mind; may Lord Påçnigarbha protect Your intelligence,
and may the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect Your soul. While You are
playing, may Lord Govinda protect You from all sides, and when You are sleeping,
may Lord Mädhava protect You from all danger; when You are working may the
Lord of Vaikuëöha protect You from falling down; when You are sitting, may the
Lord of Vaikuëöha give You all protection; and while You are eating, may the Lord
of all sacrifices give You all protection.”
Thus mother Yaçodä began to chant different names of Viñëu to protect the child
Kåñëa’s different bodily parts. Mother Yaçodä was firmly convinced that she should
protect her child from different kinds of evil spirits and ghosts—namely Òäkinés,
Yätudhänés, Küñmäëòäs, Yakñas, Räkñasas, Véëäyakas, Koöarä, Revaté, Jyeñöhä,
Pütanä, Mätåkäs, Unmädas and similar other evil spirits, who cause persons to forget
their own existence and give trouble to the life-air and the senses. Sometimes they
appear in dreams and cause much perturbation; sometimes they appear as old women
and suck the blood of small children. But all such ghosts and evil spirits cannot
remain where there is chanting of the holy name of God. Mother Yaçodä was firmly
convinced of the Vedic injunctions about the importance of cows and the holy name
of Viñëu; therefore she took all shelter in the cows and the name of Viñëu just to
protect her child Kåñëa. She recited all the holy names of Viñëu so that He might
save the child. Vedic culture has taken advantage of keeping cows and chanting the
holy name of Viñëu since the beginning of history, and persons who are still
following the Vedic ways, especially the householders, keep at least one dozen cows
and worship the Deity of Lord Viñëu, who is installed in their house.
The elderly gopés of Våndävana were so absorbed in affection for Kåñëa that they
wanted to save Him, although there was no need to, for He had already protected
Himself. They could not understand that Kåñëa was the Supreme Personality of
Godhead playing as a child. After performing the formalities to protect the child,
mother Yaçodä took Kåñëa and let Him suck her own breast. When the child was
protected by Viñëu mantra, mother Yaçodä felt that He was safe. In the meantime,
all the cowherd men who went to Mathurä to pay tax returned home and were
struck with wonder at seeing the gigantic dead body of Pütanä.
Nanda Mahäräja recalled the prophecy of Vasudeva and considered him a great sage
and mystic yogi; otherwise, how could he have foretold an incident that happened
during his absence from Våndävana? After this, all the residents of Vraja cut the
gigantic body of Pütanä into pieces and piled it up with wood for burning. When all
the limbs of Pütanä’s body were burning, the smoke emanating from the fire created
a good aroma. This aroma was due to her being killed by Kåñëa. This means that the
demon Pütanä was washed of all her sinful activities and attained a celestial body.
Here is an example of how the Supreme Personality of Godhead is all good: Pütanä
came to kill Kåñëa, but because He sucked her milk, she was immediately purified,
and her dead body attained a transcendental quality. Her only business was to kill
small children; she was only fond of blood. But in spite of being envious of Kåñëa,
she attained salvation because she gave her milk to Him to drink. So what can be
said of others who are affectionate to Kåñëa in the relationship of mother or father?
The pure devotees always serve Kåñëa with great love and affection, for He is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul of every living entity. It is
concluded therefore that even a little energy expended in the service of the Lord
gives one immense transcendental profit. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä:
svalpam apy asya dharmasya. Devotional service in Kåñëa consciousness is so sublime
that even a little service to Kåñëa, knowingly or unknowingly, gives one the greatest
benefit. The system of worshiping Kåñëa by offering flowers from a tree is also
beneficial for the living entity who is confined to the bodily existence of that tree.
When flowers and fruits are offered to Kåñëa, the tree that bore them also receives
much benefit, indirectly. The arcanä process, or worshiping procedure, is therefore
beneficial for everyone. Kåñëa is worshipable by great demigods like Brahmä and
Lord Çiva, and Pütanä was so fortunate that the same Kåñëa played in her lap as a
little child. The lotus feet of Kåñëa, which are worshiped by great sages and devotees,
were placed on the body of Pütanä. People worship Kåñëa and offer food, but
automatically He sucked the milk from the body of Pütanä. Devotees therefore pray
that if simply by offering something as an enemy, Pütanä got so much benefit, then
who can measure the benefit of worshiping Kåñëa in love and affection?
One should only worship Kåñëa if for no other reason than so much benefit awaits
the worshiper. Although Pütanä was an evil spirit, she gained elevation just like the
mother of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is clear that the cows and the
elderly gopés who offered milk to Kåñëa were also elevated to the transcendental
position. Kåñëa can offer anyone anything, from liberation to anything materially
conceivable. Therefore, there cannot be any doubt of the salvation of Pütanä, whose
bodily milk was sucked by Kåñëa for such a long time. And how can there be any
doubt about the salvation of the gopés who were so fond of Kåñëa? Undoubtedly all
the gopés and cowherd boys and cows who served Kåñëa in Våndävana with love and
affection were liberated from the miserable condition of material existence.
When all the inhabitants of Våndävana smelled the good aroma from the smoke of
the burning Pütanä, they inquired from each other, “Where is this good flavor
coming from?” And while conversing, they came to understand that it was the fumes
of the burning Pütanä. They were very fond of Kåñëa, and as soon as they heard that
the demon Pütanä was killed by Kåñëa, they offered blessings to the little child out of
affection. After the burning of Pütanä, Nanda Mahäräja came home and
immediately took up the child on his lap and began to smell His head. In this way, he
was quite satisfied that his little child was saved from this great calamity. Çréla
Çukadeva Gosvämé has blessed all persons who hear the narration of the killing of
Pütanä by Kåñëa. They will surely attain the favor of Govinda.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Sixth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Pütanä
Killed.”
7 / Salvation of Tåëävarta
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, is always full of six opulences—namely
complete wealth, complete strength, complete fame, complete knowledge, complete
beauty and complete renunciation. The Lord appears in different complete, eternal
forms of incarnation. The conditioned soul has immense opportunity to hear about
the transcendental activities of the Lord in these different incarnations. In the
Bhagavad-gétä it is said, janma karma ca me divyam. The pastimes and activities of
the Lord are not material; they are beyond the material conception. But the
conditioned soul can benefit by hearing such uncommon activities. Hearing is an
opportunity to associate with the Lord; to hear His activities is to evolve to the
transcendental nature—simply by hearing. The conditioned soul has a natural
aptitude to hear something about other conditioned souls in the form of fiction,
drama and novel. That inclination to hear something about others may be utilized in
hearing the pastimes of the Lord. Then one can immediately evolve to his
transcendental nature. Kåñëa’s pastimes are not only beautiful; they are also very
pleasing to the mind.
If someone takes advantage of hearing the pastimes of the Lord, the material
contamination of dust, accumulated in the heart due to long association with
material nature, can be immediately cleansed. Lord Caitanya also instructed that
simply by hearing the transcendental name of Lord Kåñëa, one can cleanse the heart
of all material contamination. There are different processes for self-realization, but
this process of devotional service—of which hearing is the most important function
—when adopted by any conditioned soul, will automatically cleanse him of the
material contamination and enable him to realize his real constitutional position.
Conditional life is due to this contamination only, and as soon as it is cleared off,
then naturally the dormant function of the living entity—rendering service to the
Lord—awakens. By developing his eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, one
becomes eligible to create friendship with the devotees. Mahäräja Parékñit
recommended, from practical experience, that everyone try to hear about the
transcendental pastimes of the Lord. This Kåñëa treatise is meant for that purpose,
and the reader may take advantage in order to attain the ultimate goal of human life.
The Lord, out of His causeless mercy, descends on this material world and displays
His activities just like an ordinary man. Unfortunately the impious entities or the
atheistic class of men consider Kåñëa to be an ordinary man like themselves, and so
they deride Him. This is condemned in the Bhagavad-gétä by the Lord Himself when
He says, “Avajänanti mäà müòhäù.” The müòhas, or the rascals, take Kåñëa to be an
ordinary man or a slightly more powerful man; out of their great misfortune, they
cannot accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sometimes such
unfortunate persons misrepresent themselves as incarnations of Kåñëa without
referring to the authorized scriptures.
When Kåñëa grew up a little more, He began to turn Himself backside up; He did not
merely lie down on His back. And another function was observed by Yaçodä and
Nanda Mahäräja: Kåñëa’s first birthday. They arranged for Kåñëa’s birthday
ceremony, which is still observed by all followers of the Vedic principles. (Kåñëa’s
birthday ceremony is observed in India by all Hindus, irrespective of different
sectarian views.) All the cowherd men and women were invited to participate, and
they arrived in jubilation. A nice band played, and the people assembled enjoyed it.
All the learned brähmaëas were invited, and they chanted Vedic hymns for the good
fortune of Kåñëa. During the chanting of the Vedic hymns and playing of the bands,
Kåñëa was bathed by mother Yaçodä. This bathing ceremony is technically called
abhiñeka, and even today this is observed in all the temples of Våndävana as
Janmäñöamé Day, or the birthday anniversary of Lord Kåñëa.
On this occasion, mother Yaçodä arranged to distribute a large quantity of grains,
and first-class cows decorated with golden ornaments were made ready to be given in
charity to the learned, respectable brähmaëas. Yaçodä took her bath and dressed
herself nicely, and taking child Kåñëa, duly dressed and bathed, on her lap, she sat
down to hear the Vedic hymns chanted by the brähmaëas. While listening to the
chanting of the Vedic hymns, the child appeared to be falling asleep, and therefore
mother Yaçodä very silently laid Him down on the bed. Being engaged in receiving
all the friends, relatives and residents of Våndävana on that holy occasion, she
forgot to feed the child milk. He was crying, being hungry, but mother Yaçodä could
not hear Him cry because of the various noises. The child, however, became angry
because He was hungry and His mother was not paying attention to Him. So He
lifted His legs and began to kick His lotus feet just like an ordinary child. Baby Kåñëa
had been placed underneath a hand-driven cart, and while He was kicking His legs,
He accidentally touched the wheel of the cart, and it collapsed. Various kinds of
utensils and brass and metal dishes had been piled up in the handcart, and they all
fell down with a great noise. The wheel of the cart separated from the axle, and the
spokes of the wheel were all broken and scattered hither and thither. Mother Yaçodä
and all the gopés, as well as Mahäräja Nanda and the cowherd men, were astonished
as to how the cart could have collapsed by itself. All the men and women who were
assembled for the holy function crowded around and began to suggest how the cart
might have collapsed. No one could ascertain the cause, but some small children who
were entrusted to play with baby Kåñëa informed the crowd that it was due to
Kåñëa’s striking His feet against the wheel. They assured the crowd that they had
seen how it happened with their own eyes, and they strongly asserted the point.
Some were listening to the statement of the small children, but others said, “How
can you believe the statements of these children?” The cowherd men and women
could not understand that the all-powerful Personality of Godhead was lying there
as a baby, and He could do anything. Both the possible and impossible were in His
power. While the discussion was going on, baby Kåñëa cried. Without remonstration,
mother Yaçodä picked the child up on her lap and called the learned brähmaëas to
chant holy Vedic hymns to counteract the evil spirits. At the same time she allowed
the baby to suck her breast. If a child sucks the mother’s breast nicely, it is to be
understood that he is out of all danger. After this, all the stronger cowherd men put
the broken cart in order, and all the scattered things were set up nicely as before.
The brähmaëas thereafter began to offer oblations to the sacrificial fire with yogurt,
butter, kuça grass, and water. They worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead
for the good fortune of the child.
The brähmaëas who were present at that time were all qualified because they were
not envious; they never indulged in untruthfulness, they were never proud, they
were nonviolent, and they never claimed any false prestige. They were all bona fide
brähmaëas, and there was no reason to think that their blessing would be useless.
With firm faith in the qualified brähmaëas, Nanda Mahäräja took his child on his
lap and bathed Him with water mixed with various herbs while the brähmaëas
chanted hymns from the Åk, Yajus and Säma Vedas.
It is said that without being a qualified brähmaëa, one should not read the mantras
of the Vedas. Here is the proof that the brähmaëas were qualified with all the
brahminical symptoms. Mahäräja Nanda also had full faith in them. Therefore they
were allowed to perform the ritualistic ceremonies by chanting the Vedic mantras.
There are many different varieties of sacrifices recommended for different purposes,
but the mantras are all to be chanted by qualified brähmaëas. And because in this
age of Kali such qualified brähmaëas are not available, all Vedic ritualistic sacrifices
are forbidden. Çré Caitanya Mahäprabhu has therefore recommended only one kind
of sacrifice in this age—namely saìkértana yajïa, or simply chanting the
mahämantra, Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare, Hare Räma, Hare
Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.
As the brähmaëas chanted the Vedic hymns and performed the ritualistic
ceremonies for the second time, Nanda Mahäräja again gave huge quantities of
grains and many cows to them. All the cows which were given in charity were
covered with nice gold-embroidered garments, and their horns were bedecked with
golden rings; their hooves were covered with silver plate, and they wore garlands of
flowers. He gave so many cows just for the welfare of his wonderful child, and the
brähmaëas in return bestowed their heartfelt blessing. And the blessings offered by
the able brähmaëas were never to be baffled.
One day, shortly after this ceremony, when mother Yaçodä was patting her baby on
her lap, the baby felt too heavy, and being unable to carry Him, she unwillingly
placed Him on the ground. After a while, she became engaged in household affairs.
At that time, one of the servants of Kaàsa, known as Tåëävarta, as instructed by
Kaàsa, appeared there in the shape of a whirlwind. He picked the child up on his
shoulders and raised a great dust storm all over Våndävana. Because of this,
everyone’s eyes became covered within a few moments, and the whole area of
Våndävana became densely dark so that no one could see himself or anyone else.
During this great catastrophe, mother Yaçodä could not see her baby, who was taken
away by the whirlwind, and she began to cry very piteously. She fell down on the
ground exactly like a cow who has just lost her calf. When mother Yaçodä was so
piteously crying, all the cowherd women immediately came and began to look for the
baby, but they were disappointed and could not find Him. The Tåëävarta demon
who took baby Kåñëa on his shoulder went high in the sky, but the baby assumed
such a weight that suddenly he could not go any further, and he had to stop his
whirlwind activities. Baby Kåñëa made Himself heavy and began to weigh down the
demon. The Lord caught hold of his neck. Tåëävarta felt the baby to be as heavy as a
big mountain, and he tried to get out of His clutches, but he was unable to do so, and
his eyes popped out from their sockets. Crying very fiercely, he fell down to the
ground of Våndävana and died. The demon fell exactly like Tripuräsura, who was
pierced by the arrow of Lord Çiva. He hit the stone ground, and his limbs were
smashed. His body became visible to all the inhabitants of Våndävana.
When the gopés saw the demon killed and child Kåñëa very happily playing on his
body, they immediately picked Kåñëa up with great affection. The cowherd men and
women became very happy to get back their beloved child Kåñëa. At that time they
began to talk about how wonderful it was that the demon took away the child to
devour Him but could not do so; instead he fell down dead. Some of them supported
the situation: “This is proper because those who are too sinful die from their sinful
reactions, and child Kåñëa is pious; therefore He is saved from all kinds of fearful
situations. And we too must have performed great sacrifices in our previous lives,
worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, giving great wealth in charity and
acting philanthropically for the general welfare of men. Because of such pious
activities, the child is saved from all danger.”
The gopés assembled there spoke among themselves: “What sort of austerities and
penances we must have undergone in our previous lives! We must have worshiped
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, offered different kinds of sacrifices, made
charities and performed many welfare activities for the public such as growing
banyan trees and excavating wells. As a result of these pious activities, we have got
back our child, even though He was supposed to be dead. Now He has come back to
enliven His relatives.” After observing such wonderful happenings, Nanda Mahäräja
began to think of the words of Vasudeva again and again.
After this incident, when Yaçodä once was nursing her child and patting Him with
great affection, there streamed a profuse supply of milk from her breast, and when
she opened the mouth of the child with her fingers, she suddenly saw the universal
manifestation within His mouth. She saw within the mouth of Kåñëa the whole sky,
including the luminaries, stars in all directions, the sun, moon, fire, air, seas, islands,
mountains, rivers, forests, and all other movable and immovable entities. Upon
seeing this, mother Yaçodä’s heart began to throb, and she murmured within herself,
“How wonderful this is!” She could not express anything, but simply closed her eyes.
She was absorbed in wonderful thoughts. Kåñëa’s showing the universal form of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, even when lying down on the lap of His mother,
proves that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, whether He is manifested as a child on the lap of His mother or as a
charioteer on the battlefield of Kurukñetra. The concoction of the impersonalist,
that one can become God by meditation or by some artificial material activities, is
herewith declared false. God is always God in any condition or status, and the living
entities are always the parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. They can never be
equal to the inconceivable supernatural power of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Seventh Chapter of Kåñëa, “Salvation
of Tåëävarta.”
8 / Vision of the Universal Form
After this incident, Vasudeva asked his family priest Gargamuni to visit the place of
Nanda Mahäräja in order to astrologically calculate the future life of Kåñëa.
Gargamuni was a great saintly sage who underwent many austerities and penances
and was appointed priest of the Yadu dynasty. When Gargamuni arrived at the home
of Nanda Mahäräja, Nanda Mahäräja was very pleased to see him and immediately
stood up with folded hands and offered his respectful obeisances. He received
Gargamuni with the feeling of one who is worshiping God or the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. He offered him a nice sitting place, and when he sat down,
Nanda Mahäräja offered him a warm reception. Addressing him very politely, he
said: “My dear brähmaëa, your appearance in a householder’s place is only to
enlighten. We are always engaged in household duties and are forgetting our real
duty of self-realization. Your coming to our house is to give us some enlightenment
about spiritual life. You have no other purpose to visit householders.” Actually a
saintly person or a brähmaëa has no business visiting householders who are always
busy in the matter of dollars and cents. If it is asked, “Why don’t the householders go
to a saintly person or a brähmaëa for enlightenment?” the answer is that
householders are very poor-hearted. Generally householders think that their
engagement in family affairs is their prime duty and that self-realization or
enlightenment in spiritual knowledge is secondary. Out of compassion only, saintly
persons and brähmaëas go to householders’ homes.
Nanda Mahäräja addressed Gargamuni as one of the great authorities in astrological
science. The foretellings of astrological science, such as the occurrence of solar or
lunar eclipses, are wonderful calculations, and by this particular science, a person
can understand the future very clearly. Gargamuni was proficient in this knowledge.
By this knowledge one can understand what his previous activities were, and by the
result of such activities one may enjoy or suffer in this life.
Nanda Mahäräja also addressed Gargamuni as the “best of the brähmaëas.” A
brähmaëa is one who is expert in the knowledge of the Supreme. Without
knowledge of the Supreme Absolute, one cannot be recognized as a brähmaëa. The
exact word used in this connection is brahmavidäm, which means those who know
the Supreme very well. An expert brähmaëa is able to give reformatory facilities to
the sub-castes—namely the kñatriyas and vaiçyas. The çüdras observe no reformatory
performances. The brähmaëa is considered to be the spiritual master or priest for the
kñatriya and vaiçya. Nanda Mahäräja happened to be a vaiçya, and he accepted
Gargamuni as a first class brähmaëa. He therefore offered his two foster sons—
namely Kåñëa and Balaräma—to Him to purify. He agreed that not only these boys,
but all human beings just after birth should accept a qualified brähmaëa as spiritual
master.
Upon this request, Gargamuni replied, “Vasudeva has sent me to see to the
reformatory performances of these boys, especially Kåñëa’s. I am their family priest,
and incidentally, it appears to me that Kåñëa is the son of Devaké.” By his astrological
calculation, Gargamuni could understand that Kåñëa was the son of Devaké but that
He was being kept under the care of Nanda Mahäräja, which Nanda did not know.
Indirectly he said that Kåñëa, as well as Balaräma, were both sons of Vasudeva.
Balaräma was known as the son of Vasudeva because His mother Rohiëé was present
there, but Nanda Mahäräja did not know about Kåñëa. Gargamuni indirectly
disclosed the fact that Kåñëa was the son of Devaké. Gargamuni also warned Nanda
Mahäräja that if he would perform the reformatory ceremony, then Kaàsa, who was
naturally very sinful, would understand that Kåñëa was the son of Devaké and
Vasudeva. According to astrological calculation, Devaké could not have a female
child, although everyone thought that the eighth child of Devaké was female. In this
way Gargamuni intimated to Nanda Mahäräja that the female child was born of
Yaçodä and that Kåñëa was born of Devaké, and they were exchanged. The female
child, or Durgä, also informed Kaàsa that the child who would kill him was already
born somewhere else. Gargamuni stated, “If I give your child a name and if He fulfills
the prophecy of the female child to Kaàsa, then it may be that the sinful demon will
come and kill this child also after the name-giving ceremony. But I do not want to
become responsible for all these future calamities.”
On hearing the words of Gargamuni, Nanda Mahäräja said, “If there is such danger,
then it is better not to plan any gorgeous name-giving ceremony. It would be better
for you to simply chant the Vedic hymns and perform the purificatory process. We
belong to the twice-born caste, and I am taking this opportunity of your presence. So
please perform the name-giving ceremony without external pomp.” Nanda Mahäräja
wanted to keep the name-giving ceremony a secret and yet take advantage of
Gargamuni’s performing the ceremony.
When Gargamuni was so eagerly requested by Nanda Mahäräja, he performed the
name-giving ceremony as secretly as possible in the cowshed of Nanda Mahäräja. He
informed Nanda Mahäräja that Balaräma, the son of Rohiëé, would be very pleasing
to His family members and relatives and therefore would be called Räma. In the
future He would be extraordinarily strong and therefore would be called Balaräma.
Gargamuni said further, “Because your family and the family of the Yadus are so
intimately connected and attracted, therefore His name will also be Saìkarñaëa.”
This means that Gargamuni awarded three names to the son of Rohiëé—namely
Balaräma, Saìkarñaëa, and Baladeva. But he carefully did not disclose the fact that
Balaräma also appeared in the womb of Devaké and was subsequently transferred to
the womb of Rohiëé. Kåñëa and Balaräma are real brothers, being originally sons of
Devaké.
Gargamuni then informed Nanda Mahäräja, “As far as the other boy is concerned,
this child has taken different bodily complexions in different yugas [millennia]. First
of all He assumed the color white, then He assumed the color red, then the color
yellow and now He has assumed the color black. Besides that, He was formerly the
son of Vasudeva; therefore His name should be Väsudeva as well as Kåñëa. Some
people will call Him Kåñëa, and some will call Him Väsudeva. But one thing you
must know: This son has had many, many other names and activities due to His
different pastimes.”
Gargamuni gave Nanda Mahäräja a further hint that his son will also be called
Giridharé because of His uncommon pastimes of lifting Govardhana Hill. Since he
could understand everything past and future, he said, “I know everything about His
activities and name, but others do not know. This child will be very pleasing to all
the cowherd men and cows. Being very popular in Våndävana, He will be the cause
of all good fortune for you. Because of His presence, you will overcome all kinds of
material calamities, despite opposing elements.”
Gargamuni continued to say, “My dear King of Vraja, in His previous births, this
child many times protected righteous persons from the hands of rogues and thieves
whenever there was political disruption. Your child is so powerful that anyone who
will become a devotee of your boy will never be troubled by enemies. Just as
demigods are always protected by Lord Viñëu, so the devotees of your child will
always be protected by Näräyaëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This child
will grow in power, beauty, opulence—in everything—on the level of Näräyaëa, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore I would advise that you protect Him
very carefully so that He may grow without disturbance.”
Gargamuni further informed Nanda Mahäräja that because he was a great devotee of
Näräyaëa, Lord Näräyaëa gave a son who is equal to Him. At the same time he
indicated, “Your son will be disturbed by so many demons, so be careful and protect
Him.” In this way Gargamuni convinced Nanda Mahäräja that Näräyaëa Himself
had become his son. After giving this information, Gargamuni returned to his home.
Nanda Mahäräja began to think of himself as the most fortunate person, and he was
very satisfied to be benedicted in this way.
A short time after this incident, both Balaräma and Kåñëa began to crawl on Their
hands and knees. When They were crawling like that, They pleased Their mothers.
The bells tied to Their waist and ankles sounded fascinating, and They would move
around very pleasingly. Sometimes, just like ordinary children, They would be
frightened by others and would immediately hurry to Their mothers for protection.
Sometimes They would fall into the clay and mud of Våndävana and would approach
Their mothers smeared with clay and saffron. They were actually smeared with
saffron and sandalwood pulp by Their mothers, but due to crawling over muddy clay,
They would simultaneously smear Their bodies with clay. As soon as They would
come crawling to Their mothers, Yaçodä and Rohiëé would take Them on their laps
and, covering the lower portion of their saris, allow Them to suck their breasts.
When the babies were sucking their breasts, the mothers would see small teeth
coming in. Thus their joy would be intensified to see their children grow. Sometimes
the naughty babies would crawl up to the cowshed, catch the tail of a calf and stand
up. The calves, being disturbed, would immediately begin running here and there,
and the children would be dragged over clay and cow dung. To see this fun, Yaçodä
and Rohiëé would call all their neighboring friends, the gopés. Upon seeing these
childhood pastimes of Lord Kåñëa, the gopés would be merged in transcendental bliss.
In their enjoyment they would laugh very loudly.
Both Kåñëa and Balaräma were so restless that Their mothers Yaçodä and Rohiëé
would try to protect Them from cows, bulls, monkeys, water, fire and birds while
they were executing their household duties. Always being anxious to protect the
children and to execute their duties, they were not very tranquil. In a very short
time, both Kåñëa and Balaräma began to stand up and slightly move on Their legs.
When Kåñëa and Balaräma began to walk, other friends of the same age joined
Them, and together they began to give the highest transcendental pleasure to the
gopés, specifically to mother Yaçodä and Rohiëé.
All the gopé friends of Yaçodä and Rohiëé enjoyed the naughty childish activities of
Kåñëa and Balaräma in Våndävana. In order to enjoy further transcendental bliss,
they all assembled and went to mother Yaçodä to lodge complaints against the
restless boys. When Kåñëa was sitting before mother Yaçodä, all the elderly gopés
began to lodge complaints against Him so that Kåñëa could hear. They said, “Dear
Yaçodä, why don’t you restrict your naughty Kåñëa? He comes to our houses along
with Balaräma every morning and evening, and before the milking of the cows They
let loose the calves, and the calves drink all the milk of the cows. So when we go to
milk the cows, we find no milk, and we have to return with empty pots. If we warn
Kåñëa and Balaräma about doing this, They simply smile charmingly. We cannot do
anything. Also, your Kåñëa and Balaräma find great pleasure in stealing our stock of
yogurt and butter from wherever we keep it. When Kåñëa and Balaräma are caught
stealing the yogurt and butter, They say, ‘Why do you charge us with stealing? Do
you think that butter and yogurt are in scarcity in our house?’ Sometimes They steal
butter, yogurt and milk and distribute them to the monkeys. When the monkeys are
well fed and do not take any more, then your boys chide, ‘This milk and butter and
yogurt are useless—even the monkeys won’t take it.’ And They break the pots and
throw them hither and thither. If we keep our stock of yogurt, butter and milk in a
solitary dark place, your Kåñëa and Balaräma find it in the darkness by the glaring
effulgence of the ornaments and jewels on Their bodies. If by chance They cannot
find the hidden butter and yogurt, They go to our little babies and pinch their bodies
so that they cry, and then They go away. If we keep our stock of butter and yogurt
high on the ceiling, hanging on a swing, although it is beyond Their reach, They
arrange to reach it by piling all kinds of wooden crates over the grinding machine.
And if They cannot reach, They make a hole in the pot. We think therefore that
you better take all the jeweled ornaments from the bodies of your children.”
On hearing this, Yaçodä would say, “All right, I will take all the jewels from Kåñëa so
that He can not see the butter hidden in the darkness.” Then the gopés would say,
“No, no, don’t do this. What good will you do by taking away the jewels? We do not
know what kind of boys these are, but even without ornaments They spread some
kind of effulgence so that even in darkness They can see everything.” Then mother
Yaçodä would inform them, “All right, keep your butter and yogurt carefully so that
They may not reach it.” In reply to this, the gopés said, “Yes, actually we do so, but
because we are sometimes engaged in our household duties, these naughty boys enter
our house somehow or other and spoil everything. Sometimes being unable to steal
our butter and yogurt, out of anger They pass urine on the clean floor and sometimes
spit on it. Just see your boy now—He is hearing this complaint. All day They simply
makes arrangements to steal our butter and yogurt, and now They are sitting just like
very silent good boys. Just see His face.” When mother Yaçodä thought to chastise
her boy after hearing all the complaints, she saw His pitiable face, and smiling, she
did not chastise Him.
Another day, when Kåñëa and Balaräma were playing with Their friends, all the boys
joined Balaräma and told mother Yaçodä that Kåñëa had eaten clay. On hearing this,
mother Yaçodä caught hold of Kåñëa’s hand and said, “My dear Kåñëa, why have You
eaten earth in a solitary place? Just see, all Your friends including Balaräma are
complaining about You.” Being afraid of His mother, Kåñëa replied, “My dear mother,
all these boys, including My elder brother Balaräma, are speaking lies against Me. I
have never eaten clay. My elder brother Balaräma, while playing with Me today,
became angry, and therefore He has joined with the other boys to complain against
Me. They have all combined together to complain so you will be angry and chastise
Me. If you think they are truthful, then you can look within My mouth to see
whether I have taken clay or not.” His mother replied, “All right, if You have
actually not taken any clay, then just open Your mouth. I shall see.”
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kåñëa was so ordered by His mother, He
immediately opened His mouth just like an ordinary boy. Then mother Yaçodä saw
within that mouth the complete opulence of creation. She saw the entire outer space
in all directions, mountains, islands, oceans, seas, planets, air, fire, moon and stars.
Along with the moon and the stars she also saw the entire elements, water, sky, the
extensive ethereal existence along with the total ego and the products of the senses
and the controller of the senses, all the demigods, the objects of the senses like
sound, smell, etc., and the three qualities of material nature. She also could perceive
that within His mouth were all living entities, eternal time, material nature, spiritual
nature, activity, consciousness and different forms of the whole creation. Yaçodä
could find within the mouth of her child everything necessary for cosmic
manifestation. She also saw, within His mouth, herself taking Kåñëa on her lap and
having Him sucking her breast. Upon seeing all this, she became struck with awe and
began to wonder whether she were dreaming or actually seeing something
extraordinary. She concluded that she was either dreaming or seeing the play of the
illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. She thought that she had
become mad, mentally deranged, to see all those wonderful things. Then she
thought, “It may be cosmic mystic power attained by my child, and therefore I am
perplexed by such visions within His mouth. Let me offer my respectful obeisances
unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead under whose energy bodily self and bodily
possessions are conceived.” She then said, “Let me offer my respectful obeisances
unto Him, under whose illusory energy I am thinking that Nanda Mahäräja is my
husband and Kåñëa is my son, that all the properties of Nanda Mahäräja belong to
me and that all the cowherd men and women are my subjects. All this misconception
is due to the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord. So let me pray to Him that He may
protect me always.”
While mother Yaçodä was thinking in this high philosophical way, Lord Kåñëa again
expanded His internal energy just to bewilder her with maternal affection.
Immediately mother Yaçodä forgot all philosophical speculation and accepted Kåñëa
as her own child. She took Him on her lap and became overwhelmed with maternal
affection. She thus began to think, “Kåñëa is not understandable to the masses
through the gross process of knowledge, but He can be received through the
Upaniñads and the Vedänta or mystic Yoga system and Saìkhya philosophy.” Then
she began to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as her own begotten
child.
Certainly mother Yaçodä had executed many, many pious activities as a result of
which she got the Absolute Truth, Supreme Personality of Godhead, as her son who
sucked milk from her breast. Similarly, Nanda Mahäräja also must have performed
many great sacrifices and pious activities for Lord Kåñëa to become his son and
address him as father. But it is surprising that Vasudeva and Devaké did not enjoy
the transcendental bliss of Kåñëa’s childhood pastimes, although Kåñëa was their real
son. The childhood pastimes of Kåñëa are glorified even today by many sages and
saintly persons, but Vasudeva and Devaké could not enjoy such childhood pastimes
personally. The reason for this was explained by Çukadeva Gosvämé to Mahäräja
Parékñit as follows.
When the best of the Vasus of the name Droëa along with his wife Dharä were
ordered to increase progeny by Lord Brahmä, they said unto him, “Dear father, we
are seeking your benediction.” Droëa and Dharä then took benediction from
Brahmä that in the future—when they would take birth again within the universe—
the Supreme Lord Kåñëa in His most attractive feature of childhood would absorb
their whole attention. Their dealings with Kåñëa would be so powerful that simply by
hearing of Kåñëa’s childhood activities with them, anyone could very easily cross
over the nescience of birth and death.” Lord Brahmä agreed to give them the
benediction, and as a result the same Droëa appeared as Nanda Mahäräja in
Våndävana, and the same Dharä appeared as mother Yaçodä, the wife of Nanda
Mahäräja.
In this way, Nanda Mahäräja and his wife, mother Yaçodä, developed their unalloyed
devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, having gotten Him as their son.
And all the gopés and cowherd men who were associates of Kåñëa naturally
developed their own different feelings of love for Kåñëa.
Therefore, just to fulfill the benediction of Lord Brahmä, Lord Kåñëa appeared along
with His plenary expansion, Balaräma, and performed all kinds of childhood
pastimes in order to increase the transcendental pleasure of all residents of
Våndävana.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Vision of the
Universal Form.”
9 / Mother Yaçodä Binding Lord Kåñëa
Once upon a time, seeing that her maidservant was engaged in different household
duties, mother Yaçodä personally took charge of churning butter. And while she
churned butter, she sang the childhood pastimes of Kåñëa and enjoyed thinking of
her son.
The end of her sari was tightly wrapped while she churned, and on account of her
intense love for her son, milk automatically dripped from her breasts which moved as
she labored very hard, churning with two hands. The bangles and bracelets on her
hands tinkled as they touched each other, and her earrings and breasts shook. There
were drops of perspiration on her face, and the flower garland which was on her
head scattered here and there. Before this picturesque sight, Lord Kåñëa appeared as
a child. He felt hungry, and out of love for His mother, He wanted her to stop
churning. He indicated that her first business was to let Him suck her breast and
then churn butter later.
Mother Yaçodä took her son on her lap and pushed the nipples of her breasts into
His mouth. And while Kåñëa was sucking the milk, she was smiling, enjoying the
beauty of her child’s face. Suddenly, the milk which was on the oven began to boil
over. Just to stop the milk from spilling, mother Yaçodä at once put Kåñëa aside and
went to the oven. Left in that state by His mother, Kåñëa became very angry, and
His lips and eyes became red in rage. He pressed His teeth and lips, and taking up a
piece of stone, He immediately broke the butter pot. He took butter out of it, and
with false tears in His eyes, He began to eat the butter in a secluded place.
In the meantime, mother Yaçodä returned to the churning place after setting the
overflowing milk pan in order. She saw the broken pot in which the churning yogurt
was kept. Since she could not find her boy, she concluded that the broken pot was
His work. She began to smile as she thought, “The child is very clever. After
breaking the pot He has left this place, fearing punishment.” After she sought all
over, she found a big wooden grinding mortar which was kept upside down, and she
found her son sitting on it. He was taking butter which was hanging from the ceiling
on a swing, and He was feeding it to the monkeys. She saw Kåñëa looking this way
and that way in fear of her because He was conscious of His naughty behavior. After
seeing her son so engaged, she very silently approached Him from behind. Kåñëa,
however, quikly saw her coming at Him with a stick in her hand, and immediately
He got down from the grinding mortar and began to flee in fear.
Mother Yaçodä chased Him to all corners, trying to capture the Supreme Personality
of Godhead who is never approached even by the meditations of great yogés. In other
words, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, who is never caught by the yogés
and speculators, was playing just like a little child for a great devotee like mother
Yaçodä. Mother Yaçodä, however, could not easily catch the fast-running child
because of her thin waist and heavy body. Still she tried to follow Him as fast as
possible. Her hair loosened, and the flower in her hair fell to the ground. Although
she was tired, she somehow reached her naughty child and captured Him. When He
was caught, Kåñëa was almost on the point of crying. He smeared His hands over His
eyes, which were anointed with black eye cosmetics. The child saw His mother’s face
while she stood over Him, and His eyes became restless from fear. Mother Yaçodä
could understand that Kåñëa was unnecessarily afraid, and for His benefit she
wanted to allay His fears.
Being the topmost well-wisher of her child, mother Yaçodä began to think, “If the
child is too fearful of me, I don’t know what will happen to Him.” Mother Yaçodä
then threw away her stick. In order to punish Him, she thought to bind His hands
with some ropes. She did not know it, but it was actually impossible for her to bind
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mother Yaçodä was thinking that Kåñëa was
her tiny child; she did not know that the child had no limitation. There is no inside
or outside of Him, nor beginning or end. He is unlimited and all-pervading. Indeed,
He is Himself the whole cosmic manifestation. Still, mother Yaçodä was thinking of
Kåñëa as her child. Although He is beyond the reach of all senses, she endeavored to
bind Him up to a wooden grinding mortar. But when she tried to bind Him, she
found that the rope she was using was too short—by two inches. She gathered more
ropes from the house and added to it, but at the end she found the same shortage. In
this way, she connected all the ropes available at home, but when the final knot was
added, she saw that it was still two inches too short. Mother Yaçodä was smiling, but
she was astonished. How was it happening?
In attempting to bind her son, she became tired. She was perspiring, and the garland
on her head fell down. Then Lord Kåñëa appreciated the hard labor of His mother,
and being compassionate upon her, He agreed to be bound up by the ropes. Kåñëa,
playing as a human child in the house of mother Yaçodä, was performing His own
selected pastimes. Of course, no one can control the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. The pure devotee surrenders himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, who
may either protect or vanquish the devotee. But for his part, the devotee never
forgets his own position of surrender. Similarly, the Lord also feels transcendental
pleasure by submitting Himself to the protection of the devotee. This was
exemplified by Kåñëa’s surrender unto His mother, Yaçodä.
Kåñëa is the supreme bestower of all kinds of liberation to His devotees, but the
benediction which was bestowed upon mother Yaçodä was never experienced even
by Lord Brahmä or Lord Çiva or the goddess of fortune.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as the son of Yaçodä and
Nanda Mahäräja, is never so completely known to the yogés and speculators. But He
is easily available to His devotees. Nor is He appreciated as the supreme reservoir of
all pleasure by the yogés and speculators.
After binding her son, mother Yaçodä engaged herself in household affairs. At that
time, bound up to the wooden mortar, Kåñëa could see a pair of trees before Him
which were known as arjuna trees. The great reservoir of pleasure, Lord Çré Kåñëa,
thus thought to Himself, “Mother Yaçodä first of all left without feeding Me
sufficient milk, and therefore I broke the pot of yogurt and distributed the stock
butter in charity to the monkeys. Now she has bound Me up to a wooden mortar. So
I shall do something more mischievous than before.” And thus He thought of pulling
down the two very tall arjuna trees.
There is a history behind the pair of arjuna trees. In their previous lives, the trees
were born as the human sons of Kuvera, and their names were Nalaküvara and
Maëigréva. Fortunately, they came within the vision of the Lord. In their previous
lives they were cursed by the great sage Närada in order to receive the highest
benediction of seeing Lord Kåñëa. This benediction-curse was bestowed upon them
because of their forgetfulness due to intoxication. This story will be narrated in the
next chapter.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Ninth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Mother
Yaçodä Binding Lord Kåñëa.”
10 / Deliverance of Nalaküvara and Maëigréva
The story of the cursing of Nalaküvara and Maëigréva and their deliverance by
Kåñëa, under the all-blissful desire of the great sage Närada, is here described.
The two great demigods, Nalaküvara and Maëigréva, were sons of the treasurer of
the demigods, Kuvera, who was a great devotee of Lord Çiva. By the grace of Lord
Çiva, Kuvera’s material opulences had no limit. As a rich man’s sons often become
addicted to wine and women, so these two sons of Kuvera were also addicted to wine
and sex. Once, these two demigods, desiring to enjoy, entered the garden of Lord
Çiva in the province of Kailäsa on the bank of Mandäkiné Ganges. There they drank
much and engaged in hearing the sweet singing of beautiful women who
accompanied them in that garden of fragrant flowers. In an intoxicated condition,
they both entered the water of the Ganges, which was full with lotus flowers, and
there they began to enjoy the company of the young girls exactly as the male
elephant enjoys the female elephants within the water.
While they were thus enjoying themselves in the water, all of a sudden Närada, the
great sage, happened to pass that way. He could understand that the demigods
Nalaküvara and Maëigréva were too intoxicated and could not even see that he was
passing. The young girls, however, were not so intoxicated as the demigods, and they
at once became ashamed at being naked before the great sage Närada. They began to
cover themselves with all haste. The two demigod-sons of Kuvera were so
intoxicated that they could not appreciate the presence of the sage Närada and
therefore did not cover their bodies. On seeing the two demigods so degraded by
intoxication, Närada desired their welfare, and therefore he exhibited his causeless
mercy upon them by cursing them.
Because the great sage was compassionate upon them, he wanted to finish their false
enjoyment of intoxication and association with young girls and wanted them to see
Lord Kåñëa eye to eye. He conceived of cursing them as follows. He said that the
attraction for material enjoyment is due to an increase of the mode of passion. A
person in the material world, when favored by the material opulence of riches,
generally becomes addicted to three things—intoxication, sex and gambling.
Materially opulent men, being puffed up with the accumulation of wealth, also
become so merciless that they indulge in killing animals by opening slaughterhouses.
And they think that they themselves will never die. Such foolish persons, forgetting
the laws of nature, become overly infatuated with the body. They forget that the
material body, even though very much advanced in civilization, up to the position of
the demigods, will finally be burned to ashes. And while one is living, whatever the
external condition of the body may be, within there is only stool, urine and various
kinds of worms. Thus being engaged in jealousy and violence to other bodies,
materialists cannot understand the ultimate goal of life, and without knowing this
goal of life, they generally glide down to a hellish condition. In their next birth, such
foolish persons commit all kinds of sinful activities on account of this temporary
body, and they are even unable to consider whether this body actually belongs to
them. Generally it is said that the body belongs to the persons who feed the body.
One might therefore consider whether this body belongs to one personally or to the
master to whom one renders service. The master of slaves claims full right to the
bodies of the slaves because the master feeds the slaves. It may be questioned then
whether the body belongs to the father, who is the seed-giving master of this body, or
to the mother, who develops the child’s body in her womb.
Foolish persons are engaged in committing all sorts of sins due to the misconception
of identifying the material body with the self. But one should be intelligent enough
to understand to whom this body belongs. A foolish person indulges in killing other
animals to maintain the body, but he does not consider whether this body belongs to
him or to his father or mother or grandfather. Sometimes a grandfather or a father
gives his daughter in charity to a person with a view of getting back the daughter’s
child as a son. The body may also belong to a stronger man who forces it to work for
him. Sometimes the slave’s body is sold to the master on the basis that the body will
belong to the master. And at the end of life, the body belongs to the fire, because the
body is given to the fire and burned to ashes. Or the body is thrown into the street to
be eaten by the dogs and vultures.
Before committing all kinds of sins to maintain the body, one should understand to
whom the body belongs. Ultimately it is concluded that the body is a product of
material nature, and at the end it merges into material nature; therefore, the
conclusion should be that the body belongs to material nature. One should not
wrongly think that the body belongs to him. To maintain a false possession, why
should one indulge in killing? Why should one kill innocent animals to maintain the
body?
When a man is infatuated with the false prestige of opulence, he does not care for
any moral instruction but indulges in wine, women and animal killing. In such
circumstances, a poverty-stricken man is often better situated because a poor man
thinks of himself in relation to other bodies. A poor man often does not wish to
inflict injuries to other bodies because he can understand more readily that when he
himself is injured he feels pain. As such, the great sage Närada considered that
because the demigods Nalaküvara and Maëigréva were so infatuated by false prestige,
they should be put into a condition of life devoid of opulence.
A person who has a pinprick in his body does not wish others to be pricked by pins; a
considerate man in the life of poverty does not wish others to be also put into that
condition. Generally it is seen that one who has risen from a poverty-stricken life
and becomes wealthy creates some charitable institution at the end of his life so that
other poverty-stricken men might be benefited. In short, a compassionate poor man
may consider others’ pains and pleasures with empathy. A poor man may be seldom
puffed with false pride, and he may be freed from all kinds of infatuation. He may
remain satisfied by whatever he gets for his maintenance by the grace of the Lord.
To remain in the poverty-stricken condition is a kind of austerity. According to
Vedic culture, therefore, the brähmaëas, as a matter of routine, keep themselves in a
poverty-stricken condition to save themselves from the false prestige of material
opulence. False prestige due to advancement of material prosperity is a great
impediment for spiritual emancipation. A poverty-stricken man cannot become
unnaturally fat by eating more and more. And on account of not being able to eat
more than he requires, his senses are not very turbulent. When the senses are not
very turbulent, he cannot become violent.
Another advantage of poverty is that a saintly person can easily enter a poor man’s
house, and thus the poor man can take advantage of the saintly person’s association.
A very opulent man does not allow anyone to enter his house; therefore, the saintly
person cannot enter. According to the Vedic system, a saintly person takes the
position of a mendicant so that on the plea of begging something from the
householder, he can enter any house. The householder, who has usually forgotten
everything about spiritual advancement because he is busy maintaining family
affairs, can be benefited by the association of a saintly person. There is a great
chance for the poor man to become liberated through association with a saint. Of
what use are persons who are puffed up with material opulence and prestige if they
are bereft of the association of saintly persons and devotees of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead?
The great sage Närada thereafter thought that it was his duty to put those demigods
into a condition where they could not be falsely proud of their material opulence
and prestige. Närada was compassionate and wanted to save them from their fallen
life. They were in the mode of darkness, and being therefore unable to control their
senses, they were addicted to sex life. It was the duty of a saintly person like Närada
to save them from their abominable condition. In animal life, the animal has no
sense to understand that he is naked. But Kuvera was the treasurer of the demigods,
a very responsible man, and Nalaküvara and Maëigréva were two of his sons. And
yet they became so animalistic and irresponsible that they could not understand, due
to intoxication, that they were naked. To cover the lower part of the body is a
principle of human civilization, and when a man or woman forgets this principle,
they become degraded. Närada therefore thought that the best punishment for them
was to make them immovable living entities, or trees. Trees are, by nature’s laws,
immovable. Although trees are covered by the mode of ignorance, they cannot do
harm. The great sage Närada thought it fitting that, although the brothers, by his
mercy, would be punished to become trees, they continue to keep their memory to be
able to know why they were being punished. After changing the body, a living entity
generally forgets his previous life, but in special cases, by the grace of the Lord, as
with Nalaküvara and Maëigréva, one can remember.
Sage Närada therefore contemplated that the two demigods should remain for one
hundred years, in the time of the demigods, in the form of trees, and after that they
would be fortunate enough to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, face to face,
by His causeless mercy. And thus they would be again promoted to the life of the
demigods and great devotees of the Lord.
After this, the great sage Närada returned to his abode known as Näräyaëa Äçrama,
and the two demigods turned into trees, known as twin arjuna trees. The two
demigods were favored by the causeless mercy of Närada and given a chance to grow
in Nanda’s courtyard and see Lord Kåñëa face to face.
Although the child Kåñëa was bound up to the wooden mortar, He began to proceed
towards the growing trees in order to fulfill the prophecy of His great devotee
Närada. Lord Kåñëa knew that Närada was His great devotee and that the trees
standing before Him as twin arjuna trees were actually the sons of Kuvera. “I must
now fulfill the words of My great devotee Närada,” He thought. Then He began to
proceed through the passage between the two trees. Although He was able to pass
through the passage, the large wooden mortar stuck horizontally between the trees.
Taking advantage of this, Lord Kåñëa began to pull the rope which was tied to the
mortar. As soon as He pulled, with great strength, the two trees, with all branches
and limbs, fell down immediately with a great sound. Out of the broken, fallen trees
came two great personalities, shining like blazing fire. All sides became illuminated
and beautiful by their presence. The two purified bodies immediately came before
child Kåñëa and bowed down to offer their respects and prayers in the following
words.
“Dear Lord Kåñëa, You are the original Personality of Godhead, master of all mystic
powers. Learned brähmaëas know very well that this cosmic manifestation is an
expansion of Your potencies which are sometimes manifest and sometimes
unmanifest. You are the original provider of the life, body and senses of all living
entities. You are the eternal God, Lord Viñëu, who is all-pervading, the principal
controller of everything. You are the original source of the cosmic manifestation
which is acting under the spell of the three modes of material nature—goodness,
passion and ignorance. You are living as the Supersoul in all the multi-forms of
living entities, and You know very well what is going on within their bodies and
minds. Therefore You are the supreme director of all activities of all living entities.
But although You are in the midst of everything which is under the spell of the
material modes of nature, You are not affected by such contaminated qualities. No
one under the jurisdiction of the material modes can understand Your
transcendental qualities, which existed before the creation; therefore You are called
the Supreme Brahman who is always glorified by His personal internal potencies. In
this material world You can be known only by Your different incarnations.
Although You assume different types of bodies, these bodies are not part of the
material creation. They are always full of transcendental potencies of unlimited
opulence, strength, beauty, fame, wisdom and renunciation. In the material
existence, there is a difference between the body and the owner of the body, but
because You appear in Your original spiritual body, there is no such difference for
You. When You appear, Your uncommon activities indicate that You are the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such uncommon activities are not possible for
anyone in material existence. You are that Supreme Personality of Godhead, now
appearing to cause the birth and death as well as liberation of the living entities, and
You are full with all Your plenary expansions. You can bestow on everyone all kinds
of benediction. O Lord! O source of all fortune and goodness, we offer our respectful
obeisances unto You. You are the all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the source of peace and the supreme person in the dynasty of King Yadu. O Lord,
our father known as Kuvera, the demigod, is Your servant. Similarly, the great sage
Närada is also Your servitor, and by their grace only we have been able to see You
personally. We therefore pray that we may always be engaged in Your
transcendental loving service by speaking only about Your glories and hearing about
Your transcendental activities. May our hands and other limbs be engaged in Your
service and our minds always be concentrated at Your lotus feet and our heads
always bowed down before the all-pervading universal form of Your Lordship.”
When the demigods Nalaküvara and Maëigréva finished their prayers, the child,
Lord Kåñëa, the master and proprietor of Gokula, bound to the wooden grinding
mortar by the ropes of Yaçodä, began to smile and said, “It was already known to Me
that My great devotee-sage Närada had shown his causeless mercy by saving you
from the abominable condition of pride due to possessing extraordinary beauty and
opulence in the family of the demigods. He has saved you from gliding down into the
lowest condition of hellish life. All these facts are already known to Me. You are
very fortunate because you were not only cursed by him, but you had the great
opportunity to see him. If someone is able, by chance, to see a great saintly person
like Närada face to face, who is always serene and merciful to everyone, then
immediately that conditioned soul becomes liberated. This is exactly like being
situated in the full light of the sun: there cannot be any visionary impediment.
Therefore, O Nalaküvara and Maëigréva, your lives have now become successful
because you have developed ecstatic love for Me. This is your last birth within
material existence. Now you can go back to your father’s residence in the heavenly
planet, and by remaining in the attitude of devotional service, you will be liberated
in this very life.”
After this, the demigods circumambulated the Lord many times and bowed down
before Him again and again, and thus they left. The Lord remained bound up with
ropes to the grinding mortar.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Tenth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Deliverance
of Nalaküvara and Maëigréva.”
11 / Killing the Demons Vatsäsura and Bakäsura
When the twin arjuna trees fell to the ground, making a sound like the falling of
thunderbolts, all the inhabitants of Gokula, including Nanda Mahäräja, immediately
came to the spot. They were very much astonished to see how the two great trees had
suddenly fallen. Because they could find no reason for their falling down, they were
puzzled. When they saw child Kåñëa bound up to the wooden mortar by the ropes of
Yaçodä, they began to think that it must have been caused by some demon.
Otherwise, how was it possible? At the same time, they were very much perturbed
because such uncommon incidences were always happening to the child Kåñëa.
While the elderly cowherd men were thus contemplating, the small children who
were playing there informed the men that the trees fell due to Kåñëa’s pulling the
wooden mortar with the ropes to which He was bound. “Kåñëa came in between the
two trees,” they explained, “and the wooden mortar was topsy-turvied and stuck in
between the trees. Kåñëa began to pull the rope, and the trees fell down. When the
trees fell down, two very dazzling men came out of the trees, and they began to talk
to Kåñëa.”
Most of the cowherd men did not believe the statement of the children. They could
not believe that such things were at all possible. Some of the them, however,
believed them and told Nanda Mahäräja, “Your child is different from all other
children. He just might have done it.” Nanda Mahäräja began to smile, hearing about
the extraordinary abilities of his son. He came forward and untied the knot just to
free his wonderful child. After being freed by Nanda Mahäräja, Kåñëa was taken
onto the laps of the elderly gopés. They took Him away to the courtyard of the house
and began to clap, praising His wonderful activities. Kåñëa began to clap along with
them, just like an ordinary child. The Supreme Lord Kåñëa, being completely
controlled by the gopés, began to sing and dance, just like a puppet in their hands.
Sometimes mother Yaçodä used to ask Kåñëa to bring her a wooden plank for sitting.
Although the wooden plank was too heavy to be carried by a child, still somehow or
other Kåñëa would bring it to His mother. Sometimes while worshiping Näräyaëa,
His father would ask Him to bring his wooden slippers, and Kåñëa, with great
difficulty, would put the slippers on His head and bring them to His father. When
He was asked to lift some heavy article and was unable to lift it, He would simply
move His arms. In this way, daily, at every moment, He was the reservoir of all
pleasure to His parents. The Lord was exhibiting such childish ativities before the
inhabitants of Våndävana because He wanted to show the great philosophers and
sages searching after the Absolute Truth how the Supreme Absolute Truth
Personality of Godhead is controlled by and subject to the desires of His pure
devotees.
One day, a fruit vendor came before the house of Nanda Mahäräja. Upon hearing
the vendor call, “If anyone wants fruits please come and take them from me!” child
Kåñëa immediately took some grains in His palm and went to get fruits in exchange.
In those days exchange was by barter; therefore Kåñëa might have seen His parents
exchange fruits and other things by bartering grains, and so He imitated. But His
palms were very small, and He was not very careful to hold them tight, so He was
dropping the grains. The vendor who came to sell fruits saw this and was very much
captivated by the beauty of the Lord, so he immediately accepted whatever few
grains were left in His palm and filled His hands with fruits. In the meantime, the
vendor saw that his whole basket of fruit had become filled with jewels. The Lord is
the bestower of all benediction. If someone gives something to the Lord, he is not
the loser; he is the gainer by a million times.
One day Lord Kåñëa, the liberator of the twin arjuna trees, was playing with
Balaräma and the other children on the bank of the Yamunä, and because it was
already late in the morning, Rohiëé, the mother of Balaräma, went to call them back
home. But Balaräma and Kåñëa were so engrossed in playing with Their friends that
They did not wish to come back; They just engaged Themselves in playing more and
more. When Rohiëé was unable to take Them back home, she went home and sent
mother Yaçodä to call Them again. Mother Yaçodä was so affectionate toward her
son that as soon as she came out to call Him back home, her breast filled up with
milk. She loudly cried, “My dear child, please come back home. Your time for lunch
is already past.” She then said, “My dear Kåñëa, O my dear lotus-eyed child, please
come and suck my breast. You have played enough. You must be very hungry, my
dear little child. You must be tired from playing for so long.” She also addressed
Balaräma thus: “My dear, the glory of Your family, please come back with Your
younger brother Kåñëa immediately. You have been engaged in playing since
morning, and You must be very tired. Please come back and take Your lunch at
home. Your father Nandaraja is waiting for You. He has to eat, so You must come
back so that he can eat.”
As soon as Kåñëa and Balaräma heard that Nanda Mahäräja was waiting for Them
and could not take his food in Their absence, They started to return. Their other
playmates complained, “Kåñëa is leaving us just at the point when our playing is at
the summit. Next time we shall not allow Him to leave.”
His playmates then threatened not to allow Him to play with them again. Kåñëa
became afraid, and instead of going back home, He went back again to play with the
boys. At that time, mother Yaçodä scolded the children and told Kåñëa, “My dear
Kåñëa, do You think that You are a street boy? You have no home? Please come back
to Your home! I see that Your body has become very dirty from playing since early
morning. Now come home and take Your bath. Besides, today is Your birthday
ceremony; therefore You should come back home and give cows in charity to the
brähmaëas. Don’t You see how Your playmates are decorated with ornaments by
their mothers? You should also be cleansed and decorated with nice dress and
ornaments. Please, therefore, come back, take Your bath, dress Yourself nicely, and
then again You may go on playing.”
In this way mother Yaçodä called back Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma who are
worshipable by great demigods like Lord Brahmä and Lord Çiva. She was thinking of
Them as her children.
When mother Yaçodä’s children, Kåñëa and Balaräma, came home, she bathed Them
very nicely and dressed Them with ornaments. She then called for the brähmaëas,
and through her children she gave many cows in charity for the occasion of Kåñëa’s
birthday. In this way she performed the birthday ceremony of Kåñëa at home.
After this incident, all the elderly members of the cowherd men assembled together,
and Nanda Mahäräja presided. They began to consult amongst themselves how to
stop great disturbances in the Mahävana on account of the demons. In this meeting,
Upananda, brother of Nanda Mahäräja, was present. He was considered to be
learned and experienced, and he was a well-wisher of Kåñëa and Balaräma. He was a
leader, and he began to address the meeting as follows: “My dear friends! Now we
should leave here for another place because we are continually finding that great
demons are coming here to disturb the peaceful situation, and they are especially
attempting to kill the small children. Just consider Pütanä and Kåñëa. It was simply
by the grace of Lord Hari that Kåñëa was saved from the hands of such a great
demon. Next the whirlwind demon took Kåñëa away in the sky, but by the grace of
Lord Hari He was saved, and the demon fell down on a stone slab and died. Very
recently, this child was playing between two trees, and the trees fell down violently,
and yet there was no injury to the child. So Lord Hari saved Him again. Just imagine
the calamity if this child or any other child playing with Him were crushed by the
falling trees! Considering all these incidences, we must conclude that this place is no
longer safe. Let us leave. We have all been saved from different calamities by the
grace of Lord Hari. Now we should be cautious and leave this place and reside
somewhere where we can live peacefully. I think that we should all go to the forest
known as Våndävana, where just now there are newly grown plants and herbs. It is
very suitable for pasturing ground for our cows, and we and our families, the gopés
with their children, can very peacefully live there. Near Våndävana there is
Govardhana Hill, which is very beautiful, and there is newly grown grass and fodder
for the animals, so there will be no difficulty in living there. I therefore suggest that
we start immediately for that beautiful place, as there is no need to waste any more
time. Let us prepare all our carts immediately, and, if you like, let us go, keeping all
the cows in front.”
On hearing the statement of Upananda, all the cowherd men immediately agreed.
“Let us immediately go there.” Everyone then loaded all their household furniture
and utensils on the carts and prepared to go to Våndävana. All the old men of the
village, the children and women were arranged on seats, and the cowherd men
equipped themselves with bows and arrows to follow the carts. All the cows and bulls
along with their calves were placed in the front, and the men surrounded the flocks
with their bows and arrows and began to blow on their horns and bugles. In this way,
with tumultuous sound, they started for Våndävana.
And who can describe the damsels of Vraja? They were all seated on the carts and
were very beautifully dressed with ornaments and costly saris. They began to chant
the pastimes of child Kåñëa as usual. Mother Yaçodä and mother Rohiëé were seated
on a separate cart, and Kåñëa and Balaräma were seated on their laps. While mother
Rohiëé and Yaçodä were riding on the cart, they talked to Kåñëa and Balaräma, and
feeling the pleasure of such talks, they looked very, very beautiful.
In this way, after reaching Våndävana, where everyone lives eternally, very
peacefully and happily, they encircled Våndävana and kept the carts all together.
After seeing the beautiful appearance of Govardhana on the bank of the river
Yamunä, they began to construct their places of residence. While those of the same
age were walking together and children were talking with their parents, the
inhabitants of Våndävana felt very happy.
At this time Kåñëa and Balaräma were given charge of the calves. The first
responsibility of the cowherd boys was to take care of the little calves. The boys are
trained in this from the very beginning of their childhood. So along with other little
cowherd boys, Kåñëa and Balaräma went into the pasturing ground and took charge
of the calves and played with Their playmates. While taking charge of the calves,
sometimes the two brothers played on Their flutes. And sometimes They played with
ämalaké fruits and bael fruits, just like small children play with balls. Sometimes
They danced and made tinkling sounds with Their ankle bells. Sometimes They
made Themselves into bulls and cows by covering Themselves with blankets. Thus
Kåñëa and Balaräma played. The two brothers also used to imitate the sounds of bulls
and cows and play at bullfighting. Sometimes They used to imitate the sounds of
various animals and birds. In this way, They enjoyed Their childhood pastimes
apparently like ordinary, mundane children.
Once, when Kåñëa and Balaräma were playing on the bank of the Yamunä, a demon
of the name Vatsäsura assumed the shape of a calf and came there intending to kill
the brothers. By taking the shape of a calf, the demon could mingle with other
calves. Kåñëa, however, specifically noticed this, and He immediately told Balaräma
about the entrance of the demon. Both brothers then followed him and sneaked up
upon him. Kåñëa caught hold of the demon-calf by the two hind legs and tail,
whipped him around very forcibly and threw him up into a tree. The demon lost his
life and fell down from the top of the tree to the ground. When the demon lay dead
on the ground, all the playmates of Kåñëa congratulated Him, “Well done, well
done,” and the demigods in the sky began to shower flowers with great satisfaction.
In this way, the maintainers of the complete creation, Kåñëa and Balaräma, used to
take care of the calves in the morning every day, and thus They enjoyed Their
childhood pastimes as cowherd boys in Våndävana.
All the cowherd boys would daily go to the bank of the River Yamunä to water their
calves. Usually, when the calves drank water from the Yamunä, the boys also drank.
One day, after drinking, when they were sitting on the bank of the river, they saw a
huge animal which looked something like a duck and was as big as a hill. Its top was
as strong as a thunderbolt. When they saw that unusual animal, they became afraid
of it. The name of this beast was Bakäsura, and he was a friend of Kaàsa’s. He
appeared on the scene suddenly and immediately attacked Kåñëa with his pointed,
sharp beaks and quickly swallowed Him up. When Kåñëa was thus swallowed, all the
boys, headed by Balaräma, became almost breathless, as if they had died. But when
the Bakäsura demon was swallowing up Kåñëa, he felt a burning fiery sensation in his
throat. This was due to the glowing effulgence of Kåñëa. The demon quickly threw
Kåñëa up and tried to kill Him by pinching Him in his beaks. Bakäsura did not know
that although Kåñëa was playing the part of a child of Nanda Mahäräja, He was still
the original father of Lord Brahmä, the creator of the universe. The child of mother
Yaçodä, who is the reservoir of pleasure for the demigods and who is the maintainer
of saintly persons, caught hold of the beaks of the great gigantic duck and, before His
cowherd boy friends, bifurcated his mouth, just as a child very easily splits a blade of
grass. From the sky, the denizens of the heavenly planets showered flowers like the
cämeli, the most fragrant of all flowers, as a token of their congratulations.
Accompanying the showers of flowers was a vibration of bugles, drums and
conchshells.
When the boys saw the showering of flowers and heard the celestial sounds, they
became struck with wonder. When they saw Kåñëa, they all, including Balaräma,
were so pleased that it seemed as if they had regained their very source of life. As
soon as they saw Kåñëa coming towards them, they one after another embraced the
son of Nanda and held Him to their chests. After this, they assembled all the calves
under their charge and began to return home.
When they arrived home, they began to speak of the wonderful activities of the son
of Nanda. When the gopés and cowherd men all heard the story from the boys, they
felt great happiness because naturally they loved Kåñëa, and hearing about His
glories and victorious activities, they became still more affectionate toward Him.
Thinking that the child Kåñëa was saved from the mouth of death, they began to see
His face with great love and affection. They were full of anxieties, but they could not
turn their faces from the vision of Kåñëa. The gopés and the men began to converse
amongst themselves about how the child Kåñëa was attacked in so many ways and so
many times by so many demons, and yet the demons were killed and Kåñëa was
uninjured. They continued to converse amongst themselves about how so many
great demons in such fierce bodies attacked Kåñëa to kill Him, but by the grace of
Hari, they could not cause even a slight injury. Rather, they died like small flies in a
fire. Thus they remembered the words of Gargamuni who foretold, by dint of his vast
knowledge of the Vedas and astrology, that this boy would be attacked by many
demons. Now they actually saw that this was coming true, word for word.
All the elderly cowherd men, including Nanda Mahäräja, used to talk of the
wonderful activities of Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma, and they were always so much
absorbed in those talks that they forgot the threefold miseries of this material
existence. This is the effect of Kåñëa consciousness. What was enjoyed 5,000 years
ago by Nanda Mahäräja can still be enjoyed by persons who are in Kåñëa
consciousness simply by talking about the transcendental pastimes of Kåñëa and His
associates.
Thus both Balaräma and Kåñëa enjoyed Their childhood pastimes, imitating the
monkeys of Lord Rämacandra who constructed the bridge over the ocean and
Hanumän, who jumped over the water to Ceylon. And They used to imitate such
pastimes among Their friends and so happily passed Their childhood life.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eleventh Chapter of Kåñëa, “Killing the
Demons Vatsäsura and Bakäsura.”
12 / The Killing of the Aghäsura Demon
Once the Lord desired to go early in the morning with all His cowherd boy friends to
the forest, where they were to assemble together and take lunch. As soon as He got
up from bed, He blew a buffalo horn and called all His friends together. Keeping the
calves before them, they started for the forest. In this way, Lord Kåñëa assembled
thousands of His boy friends. They were each equipped with a stick, flute and horn
as well as lunch bag, and each of them was taking care of thousands of calves. All the
boys appeared very jolly and happy in that excursion. Each and every one of them
was attentive for his personal calves. The boys were fully decorated with various
kinds of golden ornaments, and out of sporting propensities they began to pick up
flowers, leaves, twigs, peacock feathers and red clay from different places in the
forest, and they began to dress themselves in different ways. While passing through
the forest, one boy stole another boy’s lunch package and passed it to a third. And
when the boy whose lunch package was stolen came to know of it, he tried to take it
back. But one threw it to another boy. This sportive playing went on amongst the
boys as childhood pastimes.
When Lord Kåñëa went ahead to a distant place in order to see some specific
scenery, the boys behind Him tried to run to catch up and be the first to touch Him.
So there was a great competition. One would say, “I will go there and touch Kåñëa,”
and another would say, “Oh you cannot go. I’ll touch Kåñëa first.” Some of them
played on their flutes or vibrated bugles made of buffalo horn. Some of them gladly
followed the peacocks and imitated the onomatopoetic sounds of the cuckoo. While
the birds were flying in the sky, the boys ran after the birds’ shadows along the
ground and tried to follow their exact courses. Some of them went to the monkeys
and silently sat down by them, and some of them imitated the dancing of the
peacocks. Some of them caught the tails of the monkeys and played with them, and
when the monkeys jumped in a tree, the boys also followed. When a monkey showed
its face and teeth, a boy imitated and showed his teeth to the monkey. Some of the
boys played with the frogs on the bank of the Yamunä, and when, out of fear, the
frogs jumped in the water, the boys immediately dove in after them, and they would
come out of the water when they saw their own shadows and stand imitating,
making caricatures and laughing. They would also go to an empty well and make
loud sounds, and when the echo came back, they would call it ill names and laugh.
As stated personally by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Bhagavad-gétä,
He is realized proportionately by transcendentalists as Brahman, Paramätmä and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here, in confirmation of the same statement, Lord
Kåñëa, who awards the impersonalist Brahman realization by His bodily effulgence,
also gives pleasure to the devotees as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those
who are under the spell of external energy, mäyä, take Him only as a beautiful child.
Yet He gave full transcendental pleasure to the cowherd boys who played with Him.
Only after accumulating heaps of pious activities, those boys were promoted to
personally associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Who can estimate
the transcendental fortune of the residents of Våndävana? They were personally
visualizing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face, He whom many yogés
cannot find even after undergoing severe austerities, although He is sitting within
the heart. This is also confirmed in the Brahma-saàhitä. One may search for Kåñëa
the Supreme Personality of Godhead through the pages of the Vedas and Upaniñads,
but if one is fortunate enough to associate with a devotee, he can see the Supreme
Personality of Godhead face to face. After accumulating pious activities in many,
many previous lives, the cowherd boys were seeing Kåñëa face to face and playing
with Him as friends. They could not understand that Kåñëa is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, but they were playing as intimate friends with intense love
for Him.
When Lord Kåñëa was enjoying His childhood pastimes with His boy friends, one
Aghäsura demon became very impatient. He was unable to see Kåñëa playing, so he
appeared before the boys intending to kill them all. This Aghäsura was so dangerous
that even the denizens of heaven were afraid of him. Although the denizens of
heaven drank nectar daily to prolong their lives, they were afraid of this Aghäsura
and were wondering, “When will the demon be killed?” The denizens used to drink
nectar to become immortal, but actually they were not confident of their
immortality. On the other hand, the boys who were playing with Kåñëa had no fear
of the demons. They were free of fear. Any material arrangement for protecting
oneself from death is always unsure, but if one is in Kåñëa consciousness, then
immortality is confidently assured.
The demon Aghäsura appeared before Kåñëa and His friends. Aghäsura happened to
be the younger brother of Pütanä and Bakäsura, and he thought, “Kåñëa has killed
my brother and sister. Now I shall kill Him along with all His friends and calves.”
Aghäsura was instigated by Kaàsa, so he had come with determination. Aghäsura
also began to think that when he would offer grains and water in memory of his
brother and kill Kåñëa and all the cowherd boys, then automatically all the
inhabitants of Våndävana would die. Generally, for the householders, the children
are the life and breath force. When all the children die, then naturally the parents
also die on account of strong affection for them.
Aghäsura, thus deciding to kill all the inhabitants of Våndävana, expanded himself
by the yogic siddhi called mahimä. The demons are generally expert in achieving
almost all kinds of mystic powers. In the yoga system, by the perfection called
mahima-siddhi, one can expand himself as he desires. The demon Aghäsura
expanded himself up to eight miles and assumed the shape of a very fat serpent.
Having attained this wonderful body, he stretched his mouth open just like a
mountain cave. Desiring to swallow all the boys at once, including Kåñëa and
Balaräma, he sat on the path.
The demon in the shape of a big fat serpent expanded his lips from land to sky; his
lower lip was touching the ground and his upper lip was touching the clouds. His
jaws appeared like a big mountain cave, without limitation, and his teeth appeared
just like mountain summits. His tongue appeared to be a broad traffic way, and he
was breathing just like a hurricane. The fire of his eyes was blazing. At first the boys
thought that the demon was a statue, but after examining it, they saw that it was a
more like a big serpent lying down in the road and widening his mouth. The boys
began to talk among themselves: “This figure appears to be a great animal, and he is
sitting in such a posture just to swallow us all. Just see—is it not a big snake that has
widened his mouth to eat all of us?”
One of them said, “Yes, what you say is true. This animal’s upper lip appears to be
just like the sunshine, and its lower lip is just like the reflection of red sunshine on
the ground. Dear friends, just look to the right and left hand side of the mouth of the
animal. Its mouth appears to be like a big mountain cave, and its height cannot be
estimated. The chin is also raised just like a mountain summit. That long highway
appears to be its tongue, and inside the mouth it is as dark as in a mountain cave.
The hot wind that is blowing like a hurricane is his breathing, and the fishy bad
smell coming out from his mouth is the smell of his intestines.”
Then they further consulted among themselves: “If we all at one time entered into
the mouth of this great serpent, how could it possibly swallow all of us? And even if
it were to swallow all of us at once, it could not swallow Kåñëa. Kåñëa will
immediately kill him, as He did Bakäsura.” Talking in this way, all the boys looked at
the beautiful lotus-like face of Kåñëa, and they began to clap and smile. And so they
marched forward and entered the mouth of the gigantic serpent.
Meanwhile, Kåñëa, who is the Supersoul within everyone’s heart, could understand
that the big statuesque figure was a demon. While He was planning how to stop the
destruction of His intimate friends, all the boys along with their cows and calves
entered the mouth of the serpent. But Kåñëa did not enter. The demon was awaiting
Kåñëa’s entrance, and he was thinking, “Everyone has entered except Kåñëa, who has
killed my brothers and sisters.”
Kåñëa is the assurance of safety to everyone. But when He saw that His friends were
already out of His hands and were lying within the belly of a great serpent. He
became, momentarily, aggrieved. He was also struck with wonder how the external
energy works so wonderfully. He then began to consider how the demon should be
killed and how He could save the boys and calves. Although there was no factual
concern on Kåñëa’s part, He was thinking like that. Finally, after some deliberation,
He also entered the mouth of the demon. When Kåñëa entered, all the demigods,
who had gathered to see the fun and who were hiding within the clouds, began to
express their feelings with the words, “Alas! alas!” At the same time, all the friends of
Aghäsura, especially Kaàsa, who were all accustomed to eating flesh and blood,
began to express their jubilation, understanding that Kåñëa had also entered the
mouth of the demon.
While the demon was trying to smash Kåñëa and His companions, Kåñëa heard the
demigods crying, “Alas, alas,” and He immediately began to expand Himself within
the throat of the demon. Although he had a gigantic body, the demon choked by the
expanding of Kåñëa. His big eyes moved violently, and he quickly suffocated. His
life-air could not come out from any source, and ultimately it burst out of a hole in
the upper part of his skull. Thus his life-air passed off. After the demon dropped
dead, Kåñëa, with His transcendental glance alone, brought all the boys and calves
back to consciousness and came with them out of the mouth of the demon. While
Kåñëa was within the mouth of Aghäsura, the demon’s spirit soul came out like a
dazzling light, illuminating all directions, and waited in the sky. As soon as Kåñëa
with His calves and friends came out of the mouth of the demon, that glittering
effulgent light immediately merged into the body of Kåñëa within the vision of all
the demigods.
The demigods became overwhelmed with joy and began to shower flowers on the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, and thus they worshiped Him. The
denizens of heaven began to dance in jubilation, and the denizens in Gandharvaloka
began to offer various kinds of prayers. Drummers began to beat drums in jubilation,
the brähmaëas began to recite Vedic hymns, and all the devotees of the Lord began
to chant the words, “Jaya! Jaya! All glories to the Supreme Personality of Godhead!”
When Lord Brahmä heard those auspicious vibrations which sounded throughout
the higher planetary system, he immediately came down to see what had happened.
He saw that the demon was killed, and he was struck with wonder at the uncommon
glorious pastimes of the Personality of Godhead. The gigantic mouth of the demon
remained in an open position for many days and gradually dried up; it remained a
spot of pleasure pastimes for all the cowherd boys.
The killing of Aghäsura took place when Kåñëa and all His boy friends were under
five years old. Children under five years old are called kaumära. After five years up
to the tenth year they are called paugaëòa, and after the tenth year up to the
fifteenth year they are called kaiçora. After the fifteenth year, boys are called
youths. So for one year there was no discussion of the incident of the Aghäsura
demon in the village of Vraja. But when they attained their sixth year, they
informed their parents of the incident with great wonder. The reason for this will be
clear in the next chapter.
For Çré Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is far greater than such
demigods as Lord Brahmä, it is not at all difficult to award one the opportunity of
merging with His eternal body. This He awarded to Aghäsura. Aghäsura was
certainly the most sinful living entity, and it is not possible for the sinful to merge
into the existence of the Absolute Truth. But in this particular case, because Kåñëa
entered into Aghäsura’s body, the demon became fully cleansed of all sinful reaction.
Persons constantly thinking of the eternal form of the Lord in the shape of the Deity
or in the shape of a mental form are awarded the transcendental goal of entering
into the kingdom of God and associating with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So we can just imagine the elevated position of someone like Aghäsura into whose
body the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, personally entered. Great sages,
meditators and devotees constantly keep the form of the Lord within the heart, or
they see the Deity form of the Lord in the temples; in that way, they become
liberated from all material contamination and at the end of the body enter into the
kingdom of God. This perfection is possible simply by keeping the form of the Lord
within the mind. But in the case of Aghäsura, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
personally entered. Aghäsura’s position was therefore greater than the ordinary
devotee’s or the greatest yogi’s.
Mahäräja Parékñit, who was engaged in hearing the transcendental pastimes of Lord
Kåñëa (who saved the life of Mahäräja Parékñit while he was in the womb of his
mother), became more and more interested to hear about Him. And thus he
questioned the sage Çukadeva Gosvämé, who was reciting Çrémad-Bhägavatam before
the King.
King Parékñit was a bit astonished to understand that the killing of the Aghäsura
demon was not discussed for one year, until after the boys attained the paugaëòa age.
Mahäräja Parékñit was very inquisitive to learn this, for he was sure that such an
incident was due to the working of Kåñëa’s different energies.
Generally, the kñatriyas or the administrative class are always busy with their
political affairs, and they have very little chance to hear about the transcendental
pastimes of Lord Kåñëa. But while Parékñit Mahäräja was hearing these
transcendental pastimes, he considered himself to be very fortunate because he was
hearing from Çukadeva Gosvämé, the greatest authority on the Çrémad-Bhägavatam.
Thus being requested by Mahäräja Parékñit, Çukadeva Gosvämé continued to speak
about the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kåñëa in the matter of His form, quality,
fame and paraphernalia.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twelfth Chapter of Kåñëa, “The Killing
of the Aghäsura Demon.”
13 / The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by
Brahmä
Çukadeva Gosvämé was very much encouraged when Mahäräja Parékñit asked him
why the cowherd boys did not discuss the death of Aghäsura until after one year had
passed. He explained thus: “My dear King, you are making the subject matter of the
transcendental pastimes of Kåñëa fresher by your inquisitiveness.”
It is said that it is the nature of a devotee to constantly apply his mind, energy,
words, ears, etc., in hearing and chanting about Kåñëa. This is called Kåñëa
consciousness, and for one who is rapt in hearing and chanting Kåñëa, the subject
matter never becomes hackneyed or old. That is the significance of transcendental
subject matter in contrast to material subject matter. Material subject matter
becomes stale, and one cannot hear a certain subject for a long time; he wants
change. But as far as transcendental subject matter is concerned, it is called
nityanavanaväyamäna. This means that one can go on chanting and hearing about
the Lord and never feel tired but will remain fresh and eager to hear more and more.
It is the duty of the spiritual master to disclose all confidential subject matter to the
inquisitive and sincere disciple. Thus Çukadeva Gosvämé began to explain why the
killing of Aghäsura was not discussed until one year had passed. Çukadeva Gosvämé
told the King, “Now hear of this secret with attention. After saving His friends from
the mouth of Aghäsura and after killing the demon, Lord Kåñëa brought His friends
to the bank of Yamunä and addressed them as follows: ‘My dear friends, just see how
this spot is very nice for taking lunch and playing on the soft sandy Yamunä bank.
You can see how the lotus flowers in the water are beautifully blown and how they
distribute their flavor all around. The chirping of the birds along with cooing of the
peacocks, surrounded by the whispering of the leaves in the trees, combine and
present sound-vibrations that echo one another. And this just enriches the beautiful
scenery created by the trees here. Let us have our lunch in this spot because it is
already late and we are feeling hungry. Let the calves remain near us, and let them
drink water from the Yamunä. While we engage in our lunch-taking, the calves may
engage in eating the soft grasses that are in this spot.'”
On hearing this proposal from Kåñëa, all the boys became very glad and said,
“Certainly, let us all sit down here to take our lunch.” They then let loose the calves
to eat the soft grass. Sitting down on the ground and keeping Kåñëa in the center,
they began to open their different boxes brought from home. Lord Çré Kåñëa was
seated in the center of the circle, and all the boys kept their faces toward Him. They
ate and constantly enjoyed seeing the Lord face to face. Kåñëa appeared to be the
whorl of a lotus flower, and the boys surrounding Him appeared to be its different
petals. The boys collected flowers, leaves of flowers and barks of trees and placed
them under their different boxes, and thus they began to eat their lunch, keeping
company with Kåñëa. While taking lunch, each boy began to manifest different
kinds of relations with Kåñëa, and they enjoyed each other’s company with joking
words. While thus enjoying lunch with His friends, Lord Kåñëa’s flute was pushed
within the belt of His cloth, and His bugle and cane were pushed in on the left-hand
side of His cloth. He was holding a lump of foodstuff prepared with yogurt, butter,
rice and pieces of fruit salad in His left palm, which could be seen through His petallike
finger joints. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who accepts the results of
all great sacrifices, was laughing and joking, enjoying lunch with His friends in
Våndävana. And thus the scene was being observed by the demigods from heaven.
As for the boys, they were simply enjoying transcendental bliss in the company of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
At that time, the calves that were pasturing nearby entered into the deep forest,
allured by new grasses, and gradually went out of sight. When the boys saw that the
calves were not nearby, they became afraid for their safety, and they immediately
cried out, “Kåñëa!” Kåñëa is the killer of fear personified. Everyone is afraid of fear
personified, but fear personified is afraid of Kåñëa. By crying out the word “Kåñëa,”
the boys at once transcended the fearful situation. Out of His great affection, Kåñëa
did not want His friends to give up their pleasing lunch engagement and go
searching for the calves. He therefore said, “My dear friends, you need not interrupt
your lunch. Go on enjoying. I am going personally where the calves are.” Thus Lord
Kåñëa immediately started to search out the calves in the caves and bushes. He
searched in the mountain holes and in the forests, but nowhere could He find them.
At the time when Aghäsura was killed and the demigods were looking on the
incident with great surprise, Brahmä, who was born out of the lotus flower growing
out of the navel of Viñëu, also came to see. He was surprised how a little boy like
Kåñëa could act so wonderfully. Although he was informed that the little cowherd
boy was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he wanted to see more glorified
pastimes of the Lord, and thus he stole all the calves and cowherd boys and took
them to a different place. Lord Kåñëa, therefore, in spite of searching for the calves,
could not find them, and He even lost His boy friends on the bank of the Yamunä
where they had been taking their lunch. In the form of a cowherd boy, Lord Kåñëa
was very little in comparison to Brahmä, but because He is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, He could immediately understand that all the calves and boys had been
stolen by Brahmä. Kåñëa thought, “Brahmä has taken away all the boys and calves.
How can I alone return to Våndävana? The mothers will be aggrieved!”
Therefore in order to satisfy the mothers of His friends as well as to convince
Brahmä of the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead, He immediately expanded
Himself as the cowherd boys and calves. In the Vedas it is said that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead expandes Himself in so many living entities by His energy.
Therefore it was not very difficult for Him to expand Himself again into so many
boys and calves. He expanded Himself to become exactly like the boys, who were of
all different features, facial and bodily construction, and who were different in their
clothing and ornaments and in their behavior and personal activities. In other
words, everyone has different tastes; being individual soul, each person has entirely
different activities and behavior. Yet Kåñëa exactly expanded Himself into all the
different positions of the individual boys. He also became the calves, who were also
of different sizes, colors, activities, etc. This was possible because everything is an
expansion of Kåñëa’s energy. In the Viñëu Puräëa it is said, parasya brahmaëaù çakti.
Whatever we actually see in the cosmic manifestation—be it matter or the activities
of the living entities—is simply an expansion of the energies of the Lord, as heat and
light are the different expansions of fire.
Thus expanding Himself as the boys and calves in their individual capacities, and
surrounded by such expansions of Himself, Kåñëa entered the village of Våndävana.
The residents had no knowledge of what had happened. After entering the village,
Våndävana, all the calves entered their respective cowsheds, and the boys also went
to their respective mothers and homes.
The mothers of the boys heard the vibration of their flutes before their entrance,
and to receive them, they came out of their homes and embraced them. And out of
maternal affection, milk was flowing from their breasts, and they allowed the boys to
drink it. However, their offering was not exactly to their boys but to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who had expanded Himself into such boys. This was
another chance for all the mothers of Våndävana to feed the Supreme Personality of
Godhead with their own milk. Therefore Lord Kåñëa gave not only Yaçodä the
chance of feeding Him, but this time He gave the chance to all the elderly gopés.
All the boys began to deal with their mothers as usual, and the mothers also, on the
approach of evening, began to bathe their respective children, decorate them with
tilaka and ornaments and give them necessary food after the day’s labor. The cows
also, who were away in the pasturing ground, returned in the evening and began to
call their respective calves. The calves immediately came to their mothers, and the
mothers began to lick the bodies of the calves. These relations between the cows and
the gopés with their calves and boys remained unchanged, although actually the
original calves and boys were not there. Actually the cows’ affection for their calves
and the elderly gopés’ affection for the boys causelessly increased. Their affection
increased naturally, even though the calves and boys were not their offspring.
Although the cows and elderly gopés of Våndävana had greater affection for Kåñëa
than for their own offspring, after this incident, their affection for their offspring
increased exactly as it did for Kåñëa. For one year continuoually, Kåñëa Himself
expanded as the calves and cowherd boys and was present in the pasturing ground.
As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa’s expansion is situated in everyone’s heart
as the Supersoul. Similarly, instead of expanding Himself as the Supersoul, He
expanded Himself as a portion of calves and cowherd boys for one continuous year.
One day, when Kåñëa, along with Balaräma, was maintaining the calves in the forest,
They saw some cows grazing on the top of Govardhana Hill. The cows could see
down into the valley where the calves were being taken care of by the boys.
Suddenly, on sighting their calves, the cows began to run towards them. They leaped
downhill with joined front and rear legs. The cows were so melted with affection for
their calves that they did not care about the rough path from the top of Govardhana
Hill down to the pasturing ground. They began to approach the calves with their
milk bags full of milk, and they raised their tails upwards. When they were coming
down the hill, their milk bags were pouring milk on the ground out of intense
maternal affection for the calves, although they were not their own calves. These
cows had their own calves, and the calves that were grazing beneath Govardhana
Hill were larger; they were not expected to drink milk directly from the milk bag but
were satisfied with the grass. Yet all the cows came immediately and began to lick
their bodies, and the calves also began to suck milk from the milk bags. There
appeared to be a great bondage of affection between the cows and calves.
When the cows were running down from the top of Govardhana Hill, the men who
were taking care of them tried to stop them. Elderly cows are taken care of by the
men, and the calves are taken care of by the boys; and as far as possible, the calves
are kept separate from the cows, so that the calves do not drink all the available
milk. Therefore the men who were taking care of the cows on the top of Govardhana
Hill tried to stop them, but they failed. Baffled by their failure, they were feeling
ashamed and angry. They were very unhappy, but when they came down and saw
their children taking care of the calves, they all of a sudden became very affectionate
toward the children. It was very astonishing. Although the men came down
disappointed, baffled and angry, as soon as they saw their own children, their hearts
melted with great affection. At once their anger, dissatisfaction and unhappiness
disappeared. They began to show paternal love for the children, and with great
affection they lifted them in their arms and embraced them. They began to smell
their children’s heads and enjoy their company with great happiness. After
embracing their children, the men again took the cows back to the top of
Govardhana Hill. Along the way they began to think of their children, and
affectionate tears fell from their eyes.
When Balaräma saw this extraordinary exchange of affection between the cows and
their calves and between the fathers and their children—when neither the calves
nor the children needed so much care—He began to wonder why this extraordinary
thing happened. He was astonished to see all the residents of Våndävana so
affectionate for their own children, exactly as they had been for Kåñëa. Similarly,
the cows had grown affectionate for their calves—as much as for Kåñëa. Balaräma
therefore concluded that the extraordinary show of affection was something
mystical, either performed by the demigods or by some powerful man. Otherwise,
how could this wonderful change take place? He concluded that this mystical change
must have been caused by Kåñëa, whom Balaräma considered His worshipable
Personality of Godhead. He thought, “It was arranged by Kåñëa, and even I could not
check its mystic power.” Thus Balaräma understood that all those boys and calves
were only expansions of Kåñëa.
Balaräma inquired from Kåñëa about the actual situation. He said, “My dear Kåñëa,
in the beginning I thought that all these cows, calves and cowherd boys were either
great sages and saintly persons or demigods, but at the present it appears that they
are actually Your expansions. They are all You; You Yourself are playing as the
calves and cows and boys. What is the mystery of this situation? Where have those
other calves and cows and boys gone? And why are You expanding Yourself as the
cows, calves and boys? Will You kindly tell Me what is the cause?” At the request of
Balaräma, Kåñëa briefly explained the whole situation: how the calves and boys were
stolen by Brahmä and how He was concealing the incident by expanding Himself so
people would not know that the original cows, calves, and boys were missing.
While Kåñëa and Balaräma were talking, Brahmä returned after a moment’s interval
(according to the duration of his life). We have information of Lord Brahmä’s
duration of life from the Bhagavad-gétä: 1,000 times the duration of the four ages, or
4,300,000 x 1,000, comprise Brahmä’s twelve hours. Similarly, one moment of
Brahmä is equal to one year of our solar calculation. After one moment of Brahmä’s
calculation, Brahmä came back to see the fun caused by his stealing the boys and
calves. But he was also afraid that he was playing with fire. Kåñëa was his master, and
he had played mischief for fun by taking away His calves and boys. He was really
anxious, so he did not stay away very long; he came back after a moment (of his
calculation). He saw that all the boys, calves and cows were playing with Kåñëa in
the same way as when he had come upon them, although he was confident that he
had taken them and made them lie down asleep under the spell of his mystic power.
Brahmä began to think, “All the boys, calves and cows were taken away by me, and I
know they are still sleeping. How is it that a similar batch of cows, boys and calves
are playing with Kåñëa? Is it that they are not influenced by my mystic power? Have
they been playing continually for one year with Kåñëa?” Brahmä tried to understand
who they were and how they were uninfluenced by his mystic power, but he could
not ascertain it. In other words, he himself came under the spell of his own mystic
power. The influence of his mystic power appeared like snow in darkness or the glow
worm in daytime. During the night’s darkness, the glow worm can show some
glittering power, and the snow piled up on the top of a hill or on the ground can
shine during the daytime. But at night the snow has no silver glitter; nor does the
glow worm have any illuminating power during the daytime. Similarly, when the
small mystic power exhibited by Brahmä was before the mystic power of Kåñëa, it was
just like snow or the glow worm. When a man of small mystic power wants to show
potency in the presence of greater mystic power, he diminishes his own influence; he
does not increase it. Even a great personality like Brahmä, when he wanted to show
his mystic power before Kåñëa, became ludicrous. Brahmä was thus confused about
his own mystic power.
In order to convince Brahmä that all those cows, calves and boys were not the
original ones, the cows, calves, and boys who were playing with Kåñëa transformed
into Viñëu forms. Actually, the original ones were sleeping under the spell of
Brahmä’s mystic power, but the present ones, seen by Brahmä, were all immediate
expansions of Kåñëa, or Viñëu. Viñëu is the expansion of Kåñëa, so the Viñëu forms
appeared before Brahmä. All the Viñëu forms were of bluish color and dressed in
yellow garments; all of Them had four hands decorated with club, disc, lotus flower
and conchshell. On Their heads were glittering golden jeweled helmets; They were
bedecked with pearls and earrings, and garlanded with beautiful flowers. On Their
chests was the mark of çrévatsa; Their arms were decorated with armlets and other
jewelry. Their necks were smooth just like the conchshell, Their legs were decorated
with bells, Their waists decorated with golden bells, and Their fingers decorated
with jeweled rings. Brahmä also saw that upon the whole body of Lord Viñëu, fresh
tulasé buds were thrown, beginning from His lotus feet up to the top of the head.
Another significant feature of the Viñëu forms was that all of Them were looking
transcendentally beautiful. Their smiling resembled the moonshine, and Their
glancing resembled the early rising of the sun. Just by Their glancing They appeared
as the creators and maintainers of the modes of ignorance and passion. Viñëu
represents the mode of goodness, Brahmä represents the mode of passion, and Lord
Çiva represents the mode of ignorance. Therefore as maintainer of everything in the
cosmic manifestation, Viñëu is also creator and maintainer of Brahmä and Lord Çiva.
After this manifestation of Lord Viñëu, Brahmä saw that many other Brahmäs and
Çivas and demigods and even insignificant living entities down to the ants and very
small straws—movable and immovable living entities—were dancing, surrounding
Lord Viñëu. Their dancing was accompanied by various kinds of music, and all of
Them were worshiping Lord Viñëu. Brahmä realized that all those Viñëu forms were
complete, beginning from the aëimä perfection of becoming small like an atom, up
to becoming infinite like the cosmic manifestation. All the mystic powers of Brahmä,
Çiva, all the demigods and the twenty-four elements of cosmic manifestation were
fully represented in the person of Viñëu. By the influence of Lord Viñëu, all
subordinate mystic powers were engaged in His worship. He was being worshiped by
time, space, cosmic manifestation, reformation, desire, activity and the three
qualities of material nature. Lord Viñëu, Brahmä also realized, is the reservoir of all
truth, knowledge and bliss. He is the combination of three transcendental features,
namely eternity, knowledge, and bliss, and He is the object of worship by the
followers of the Upaniñads. Brahmä realized that all the different forms of cows, boys
and calves transformed into Viñëu forms were not transformed by a mysticism of the
type that a yogé or a demigod can display by specific powers invested in him. The
cows, calves and boys transformed into Viñëu mürtis, or Viñëu forms were not
displays of Viñëu mäyä or Viñëu energy, but were Viñëu Himself. The respective
qualifications of Viñëu and Viñëu mäyä are just like fire and heat. In the heat there
is the qualification of fire, namely warmth; and yet heat is not fire. The
manifestation of the Viñëu forms of the boys, cows and calves was not like the heat,
but rather the fire—they were all actually Viñëu. Factually, the qualification of
Viñëu is full truth, full knowledge and full bliss. Another example can be given with
material objects, which are reflected in many, many forms. For example, the sun is
reflected in many waterpots, but the reflections of the sun in many pots are not
actually the sun. There is no actual heat and light from the sun in the pot, although
it appears as the sun. But the forms which Kåñëa assumed were each and every one
full Viñëu. Satyam means truth, jïänam, full knowledge, and änanda, full bliss.
Transcendental forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His person are so
great that the impersonal followers of the Upaniñads cannot reach the platform of
knowledge to understand them. Particularly, the transcendental forms of the Lord
are beyond the reach of the impersonalists who can only understand, through the
studies of Upaniñads, that the Absolute Truth is not matter and that the Absolute
Truth is not materially restricted by limited potency. Lord Brahmä understood Kåñëa
and His expansion into Viñëu forms and could understand that, due to the
expansion of energy of the Supreme Lord, everything movable and immovable
within the cosmic manifestation is existing.
When Brahmä was thus standing baffled in his limited power and conscious of his
limited activities within the eleven senses, he could at least realize that he was also a
creation of the material energy, just like a puppet. As a puppet has no independent
power to dance but dances according to the direction of the puppet master, so the
demigods and living entities are all subordinate to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. As it is stated in the Caitanya-caritämåta, the only master is Kåñëa, and all
others are servants. The whole world is under the waves of the material spell, and
beings are floating like straws in water. So their struggle for existence is continuing.
But as soon as one becomes conscious that he is the eternal servant of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, this mäyä or illusory struggle for existence is immediately
stopped.
Lord Brahmä, who has full control over the goddess of learning and who is
considered to be the best authority in Vedic knowledge, was thus perplexed, being
unable to understand the extraordinary power manifested in the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. In the mundane world, even a personality like Brahmä is
unable to understand the potential mystic power of the Supreme Lord. Not only did
Brahmä fail to understand, but he was perplexed even to see the display which was
being manifested by Kåñëa before him.
Kåñëa took compassion upon Brahmä’s inability to see even how He was displaying
the force of Viñëu in transforming Himself into cows and cowherd boys, and thus,
while fully manifesting the Viñëu expansion, He suddenly pulled His curtain of
yogamäyä over the scene. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is said that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is not visible due to the curtain spread by yogamäyä. That
which covers the reality is mahämäyä, or the external energy, which does not allow a
conditioned soul to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead beyond the
cosmic manifestation. But the energy which partially manifests the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and partially does not allow one to see, is called yogamäyä.
Brahmä is not an ordinary conditioned soul. He is far, far superior to all the
demigods, and yet he could not comprehend the display of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead; therefore Kåñëa willingly stopped manifesting any further potency. The
conditioned soul not only becomes bewildered, but he is completely unable to
understand. The curtain of yogamäyä was drawn so that Brahmä would not become
more and more perplexed.
When Brahmä was relieved from his perplexity, he appeared to be awakened from an
almost dead state, and he began to open his eyes with great difficulty. Thus he could
see the eternal cosmic manifestation with common eyes. He saw all around him the
super-excellent view of Våndävana—full with trees—which is the source of life for
all living entities. He could appreciate the transcendental land of Våndävana where
all the living entities are transcendental to ordinary nature. In the forest of
Våndävana, even ferocious animals like tigers and others live peacefully along with
the deer and human being. He could understand that, because of the presence of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead in Våndävana, that place is transcendental to all
other places and that there is no lust and greed there.
Brahmä thus found Çré Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, playing the part
of a small cowherd boy; he saw that little child with a lump of food in His left hand,
searching out His friends, cows and calves, just as He was actually doing one year
before, after their disappearance.
Immediately Brahmä descended from his great swan carrier and fell down before the
Lord just like a golden stick. The word used among the Vaiñëavas for offering respect
is daëòavat. This word means falling down like a stick; one should offer respect to
the superior Vaiñëava by falling down straight, with his body just like a stick. So
Brahmä fell down before the Lord just like a stick to offer respect; and because the
complexion of Brahmä is golden, he appeared to be like a golden stick lying down
before Lord Kåñëa. All the four helmets on the heads of Brahmä touched the lotus
feet of Kåñëa. Brahmä, being very joyful, began to shed tears, and he washed the
lotus feet of Kåñëa with his tears. Repeatedly he fell and rose as he recalled the
wonderful activities of the Lord. After repeating obeisances for a long time, Brahmä
stood up and smeared his hands over his eyes. Seeing the Lord before him, he,
trembling, began to offer prayers with great respect, humility and attention.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirteenth Chapter of Kåñëa, “The
Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahmä.”
14 / Prayers Offered by Lord Brahmä to Lord
Kåñëa
Brahmä said, “My dear Lord, You are the only worshipful Supreme Lord, Personality
of Godhead; therefore I am offering my humble obeisances and prayers just to please
You. Your bodily features are of the color of clouds filled with water. You are
glittering with a silver electric aura emanating from Your yellow garments.
“Let me offer my respectful repeated obeisances unto the son of Mahäräja Nanda
who is standing before me with conchshell, earrings and peacock feather on His
head. His face is beautiful; He is wearing a helmet, garlanded by forest flowers, and
He stands with a morsel of food in His hand. He is decorated with cane and bugle,
and He carries a buffalo horn and flute. He stands before me with small lotus feet.
“My dear Lord, people may say that I am the master of all Vedic knowledge, and I am
supposed to be the creator of this universe, but it has been proved now that I cannot
understand Your personality, even though You are present before me just like a
child. You are playing with Your boy friends, calves and cows, which might imply
that You do not even have sufficient education. You are appearing just like a village
boy, carrying Your food in Your hand and searching for Your calves. And yet there is
so much difference between Your body and mine that I cannot estimate the potency
of Your body. As I have already stated in the Brahma-saàhitä, Your body is not
material.”
In the Brahma-saàhitä it is stated that the body of the Lord is all spiritual; there is
no difference between the Lord’s body and His self. Each limb of His body can
perform the actions of all the others. The Lord can see with His hands, He can hear
with His eyes, He can accept offerings with His legs and He can create with His
mouth.
Brahmä continued: “Your appearance as a cowherd child is for the benefit of the
devotees, and although I have committed offenses at Your lotus feet by stealing away
Your cows, boys and calves, I can understand that You have mercy upon me. That is
Your transcendental quality; You are very affectionate toward Your devotees. In
spite of Your affection for me, I cannot estimate the potency of Your bodily
activities. It is to be understood that when I, Lord Brahmä, the supreme personality
of this universe, cannot estimate the child-like body of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, then what to speak of others? And if I cannot estimate the spiritual
potency of Your child-like body, then what can I understand about Your
transcendental pastimes? Therefore, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gétä, anyone who
can understand a little of the transcendental pastimes, appearance and
disappearance of the Lord becomes immediately eligible to enter into the kingdom of
God after quitting the material body. This statement is also confirmed in the Vedas,
and it is stated simply: by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one
can overcome the chain of repeated birth and death. I therefore recommend that
people should not try to understand You by their speculative knowledge.
“The best process of understanding You is to submissively give up the speculative
process and try to hear about You, either from Yourself as You have given statements
in the Bhagavad-gétä and many similar Vedic literatures, or from a realized devotee
who has taken shelter at Your lotus feet. One has to hear from a devotee without
speculation. One does not even need to change his worldly position; he simply has to
hear Your message. Although You are not understandable by the material senses,
simply by hearing about You, one can gradually conquer the nescience of
misunderstanding. By Your own grace only, You become revealed to a devotee. You
are unconquerable by any other means. Speculative knowledge without any trace of
devotional service is simply a useless waste of time in search for You. Devotional
service is so important that even a little attempt can raise one to the highest
perfectional platform. One should not, therefore, neglect this auspicious process of
devotional service and take to the speculative method. By the speculative method
one may gain partial knowledge of Your cosmic manifestation, but it is not possible
to understand You, the origin of everything. The attempt of persons who are
interested only in speculative knowledge is simply wasted labor, like the labor of a
person who attempts to gain something by beating the empty husk of a rice paddy. A
little quantity of paddy can be husked by the grinding wheel, and one can gain some
grains of rice, but if the skin of the paddy is already beaten by the grinding wheel,
there is no further gain in beating the husk. It is simply useless labor.
“My dear Lord, there are many instances in the history of human society where a
person, after failing to achieve the transcendental platform, engaged himself in
devotional service with his body, mind and words and thus attained the highest
perfectional state of entering into Your abode. The processes of understanding You
by speculation or mystic meditation are all useless without devotional service. One
should therefore engage himself in Your devotional service even in his worldly
activities, and one should always keep himself near You by the process of hearing
and chanting Your transcendental glories. Simply by being attached to hearing and
chanting Your glories, one can attain the highest perfectional stage and enter into
Your kingdom. If a person, therefore, always keeps in touch with You by hearing and
chanting Your glories and offers the results of his work for Your satisfaction only, he
very easily and happily attains entrance into Your supreme abode. You are realizable
by persons who have cleansed their hearts of all contamination. This cleansing of
the heart is made possible by chanting and hearing the glories of Your Lordship.”
The Lord is all-pervading. As it is stated by Lord Kåñëa in the Bhagavad-gétä,
“Everything is sustained by Me, but at the same time I am not in everything.” Since
the Lord is all-pervading, there is nothing existing without His knowledge. The allpervasive
nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can never be within the
limited knowledge of a living entity; therefore, a person who has attained steadiness
of the mind by fixing the mind on the lotus feet of the Lord is able to understand the
Supreme Lord to some extent. It is the business of the mind to wander over varied
subject matter for sense gratification. Therefore only a person who engages the
senses always in the service of the Lord can control the mind and be fixed at the
lotus feet of the Lord. This concentration of the mind upon the lotus feet of the
Lord is called samädhi. Until one reaches the stage of samädhi, or trance, he cannot
understand the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There may be some
philosophers or scientists who can study the cosmic nature from atom to atom; they
may be so advanced that they can count the atomic composition of the cosmic
atmosphere or all the planets and stars in the sky, or even the shining molecular
parts of the sun or other stars and luminaries in the sky. But it is not possible to
count the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
As described in the beginning of Vedänta-sütra, the Supreme Person is the origin of
all qualities. He is generally called nirguëa. Nirguëa means without qualities. Guëa
means quality, and nir means without. But impersonalists interpret this word
nirguëa as “having no quality.” Because they are unable to estimate the qualities of
the Lord in transcendental realization, they conclude that the Supreme Lord has no
qualities. But that is actually not the position. The real position is that He is the
original source of all qualities. All qualities are emanating constantly from Him.
How, therefore, can a limited person count the qualities of the Lord? One may
estimate the qualities of the Lord for one moment, but the next moment the
qualities are increased; so it is not possible to make an estimation of the
transcendental qualities of the Lord. He is therefore called nirguëa. His qualities
cannot be estimated.
One should not uselessly labor in mental speculation to estimate the Lord’s qualities.
There is no need of adopting the speculative method or exercising the body to attain
mystic yoga perfection. One should simply understand that the distress and
happiness of this body are predestined; there is no need to try to avoid the distress of
this bodily existence or to attempt to achieve happiness by different types of
exercises. The best course is to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
with body, mind and words and always be engaged in His service. This
transcendental labor is fruitful, but other attempts to understand the Absolute
Truth are never successful. Therefore an intelligent man does not try to understand
the Supreme Person, Absolute Truth, by speculative or mystic power. Rather, he
engages in devotional service and depends on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
He knows that whatever may happen to the body is due to his past fruitive activities.
If one lives such a simple life in devotional service, then automatically he can inherit
the transcendental abode of the Lord. Actually, every living entity is part and parcel
of the Supreme Lord and a son of the Godhead. Each has the natural right to inherit
and share the transcendental pleasures of the Lord, but due to the contact of matter,
conditioned living entities have been practically disinherited. If one adopts the
simple method of engaging himself in devotional service, automatically he becomes
eligible to become freed from the material contamination and elevated to the
transcendental position of associating with the Supreme Lord.
Lord Brahmä presented himself to Lord Kåñëa as the most presumptuous living
creature because he wanted to examine the wonder of His personal power. He stole
the boys and calves of the Lord in order to see how the Lord would recover them.
After his maneuver, Lord Brahmä admitted that his attempt was most presumptuous,
for he was attempting to test his energy before the person of original energy. Coming
to his senses, Lord Brahmä saw that although he was a very powerful living creature
in the estimation of all other living creatures within this material world, in
comparison to the power and energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his
power was nothing. The scientists of the material world have discovered wonders
such as atomic weapons, and when tested in a city or insignificant place on this
planet, such powerful weapons create so-called havoc, but if the atomic weapons are
tested on the sun, what is their significance? They are insignificant there. Similarly,
Brahmä’s stealing the calves and boys from Çré Kåñëa may be a wonderful display of
mystic power, but when Çré Kåñëa exhibited His expansive power in so many calves
and boys and maintained them without effort, Brahmä could understand that his
own power was insignificant.
Brahmä addressed Lord Kåñëa as Acyuta because the Lord is never forgetful of a
little service rendered by His devotee. He is so kind and affectionate towards His
devotees that a little service by them is accepted by Him as a great deal. Brahmä has
certainly rendered much service to the Lord. As the supreme personality in charge of
this particular universe, he is, without a doubt, a faithful servant of Kåñëa; therefore
he could appease Kåñëa. He asked that the Lord understand him as a subordinate
servant whose little mistake and impudence might be excused. He admitted that he
was puffed up by his powerful position as Lord Brahmä. Because he is the qualitative
incarnation of the mode of passion within this material world, this was natural for
him, and therefore he committed the mistake. But after all, Lord Kåñëa would kindly
take compassion upon His subordinate and excuse him for his gross mistake.
Lord Brahmä realized his actual position. He is certainly the supreme teacher of this
universe, in charge of the production of material nature consisting of complete
material elements, false ego, sky, air, fire, water and earth. Such a universe may be
gigantic, but it can be measured, just as we measure our body as seven cubits.
Generally everyone’s personal bodily measurement is calculated to be seven cubits of
his hand. This particular universe may appear as a very gigantic body, but it is
nothing but the measurement of seven cubits for Lord Brahmä. Aside from this
universe, there are unlimited other universes which are outside the jurisdiction of
this particular Lord Brahmä. Just as innumerable atomic infinitesimal fragments pass
through the holes of a screened window, so millions and trillions of universes in
their seedling form are coming out from the bodily pores of Mahä-Viñëu, and that
Mahä-Viñëu is but a part of the plenary expansion of Kåñëa. Under these
circumstances, although Lord Brahmä is the supreme creature within this universe,
what is his importance in the presence of Lord Kåñëa?
Lord Brahmä therefore compared himself to a little child within the womb of his
mother. If the child within the womb plays with his hands and legs, and while
playing touches the body of the mother, is the mother offended with the child? Of
course she isn’t. Similarly, Lord Brahmä may be a very great personality, and yet not
only Brahmä but everything that be is existing within the womb of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The Lord’s energy is all-pervading; there is no place in the
creation where it is not acting. Everything is existing within the energy of the Lord,
so the Brahmä of this universe or the Brahmäs of the many other millions and
trillions of universes are existing within the energy of the Lord; therefore the Lord is
considered to be the mother, and everything existing within the womb of the mother
is considered to be the child. And the good mother is never offended with the child,
even if he touches the body of the mother by kicking his legs.
Lord Brahmä then admitted that his birth was from the lotus flower which
blossomed from the navel of Näräyaëa after the dissolution of the three worlds, or
three planetary systems, known as Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka and Svarloka. The universe
is divided into three divisions, namely Svarga, Martya and Pätäla. These three
planetary systems are merged into water at the time of dissolution. At that time
Näräyaëa, the plenary portion of Kåñëa, lies down on the water and gradually a lotus
stem grows from His navel, and from that lotus flower, Brahmä is born. It is naturally
concluded that the mother of Brahmä is Näräyaëa. Because the Lord is the resting
place of all the living entities after the dissolution of the universe, He is called
Näräyaëa. The word nära means the aggregate total of all living entities, and ayana
means the resting place. The form of Garbhodakaçäyé Viñëu is called Näräyaëa
because He rests Himself on that water. In addition, He is the resting place of all
living creatures. Besides that, Näräyaëa is also present in everyone’s heart, as it is
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä. In that sense, also, He is Näräyaëa, as ayana means
the source of knowledge as well as the resting place. It is also confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gétä that remembrance of the living entity is due to the presence of the
Supersoul within the heart. After changing the body, a living creature forgets
everything of his past life, but because Näräyaëa the Supersoul is present within his
heart, he is reminded by Him to act according to his past desire. Lord Brahmä
wanted to prove that Kåñëa is the original Näräyaëa, that He is the source of
Näräyaëa, and that Näräyaëa is not an exhibition of the external energy, mäyä, but
is an expansion of spiritual energy. The activities of the external energy or mäyä are
exhibited after the creation of this cosmic world, and the original spiritual energy of
Näräyaëa was acting before the creation. So the expansions of Näräyaëa, from
Kåñëa to Garbhodakaçäyé Viñëu, from Garbhodakaçäyé Viñëu to Kñérodakaçäyé
Viñëu, and from Kñérodakaçäyé Viñëu to everyone’s heart, are manifestations of His
spiritual energy. They are not conducted by the material energy; therefore they are
not temporary. Anything conducted by the material energy is temporary, but
everything executed by the spiritual energy is eternal.
Lord Brahmä reconfirmed his statement establishing Kåñëa as the original Näräyaëa.
He said that the gigantic universal body is still resting on the water known as
Garbhodaka. He spoke as follows: “This gigantic body of the universe is another
manifestation of Your energy. On account of His resting on the water, this universal
form is also Näräyaëa, and we are all within the womb of this Näräyaëa form. I see
Your different Näräyaëa forms everywhere. I can see You on the water, I can feel
You within my heart, and I can also see You before me now. You are the original
Näräyaëa.
“My dear Lord, in this incarnation You have proved that You are the supreme
controller of mäyä. You remain within the cosmic manifestation, and yet the whole
creation is within You. This fact has already been proved by You when You
exhibited the whole universal creation within Your mouth before Your mother
Yaçodä. By Your inconceivable potency of yogamäyä, You can make such things
effective without external help.
“My dear Lord Kåñëa, the whole cosmic manifestation that we are visualizing at
present is all within Your body. Yet I am seeing You outside, and You are also seeing
me outside. How can such things happen without being influenced by Your
inconceivable energy?”
Lord Brahmä stressed herein that without accepting the inconceivable energy of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot explain things as they are. He
continued: “My dear Lord, leaving aside all other things and just considering today’s
happenings—what I have seen—are they not all due to Your inconceivable
energies? First of all I saw You alone; thereafter You expanded Yourself as Your
friends, the calves and all the existence of Våndävana; then I saw You and all the
boys as four-handed Visnus, and They were being worshiped by all elements and all
demigods, including myself. Again They all became cowherd boys, and You remained
alone as You were before. Does this not mean that You are the Supreme Lord
Näräyaëa, the origin of everything, and from You everything emanates, and again
everything enters unto You, and You remain the same as before?”
“Persons who are unaware of Your inconceivable energy cannot understand that You
alone expand Yourself as the creator Brahmä, maintainer Viñëu, and annihilator
Çiva. Persons who are not in awareness of things as they are contemplate that I,
Brahmä, am the creator, Viñëu is the maintainer, and Lord Çiva is the annihilator.
Actually, You are alone everything—creator, maintainer, and annihilator. Similarly,
You expand Yourself in different incarnations; among the demigods You incarnate
as Vämanadeva, among the great sages You incarnate as Paraçuräma, among the
human beings You appear as Yourself, as Lord Kåñëa, or Lord Räma, among the
animals You appear as the boar incarnation, and among the aquatics You appear as
the incarnation of fish. And yet You have no appearance; You are always eternal.
Your appearance and disappearance are made possible by Your inconceivable energy
just to give protection to the faithful devotees and to annihilate the demons. O my
Lord, O all-pervading Supreme Personality of Godhead, O Supersoul, controller of
all mystic powers, no one can appreciate Your transcendental pastimes as they are
exhibited within these three worlds. No one can estimate how You have expanded
Your yogamäyä and Your incarnation and how You act by Your transcendental
energy. My dear Lord, this whole cosmic manifestation is just like a flashing dream,
and its temporary existence simply disturbs the mind. As a result, we are full of
anxiety in this existence; to live within this material world means simply to suffer
and to be full of all miseries. And yet this temporary existence of the material world
appears to be pleasing and dear on account of its having evolved from Your body,
which is eternal and full of bliss and knowledge.
“My conclusion is, therefore, that You are the Supreme Soul, Absolute Truth, and
the supreme original person; and although You have expanded Yourself in so many
Viñëu forms, or in living entities and energies, by Your inconceivable transcendental
potencies, You are the supreme one without a second, You are the supreme
Supersoul. The innumerable living entities are simply like sparks of the original fire.
Your Lordship, the conception of the Supersoul as impersonal is wrongly accepted
because I see that You are the original person. A person with a poor fund of
knowledge may think that, because You are the son of Mahäräja Nanda, You are not
the original person, that You are born just like a human being. They are mistaken.
You are the actual original person; that is my conclusion. In spite of Your being the
son of Nanda, You are the original person, and there is no doubt about it. You are
the Absolute Truth, and You are not of this material darkness. You are the source of
the original brahmajyoti as well as the material luminaries. Your transcendental
effulgence is identical with brahmajyoti. As it is described in the Brahma-saàhitä,
the brahmajyoti is nothing but Your personal bodily effulgence. There are many
Viñëu incarnations and incarnations of Your different qualities, but all those
incarnations are not on the same level. You are the original lamp. Other
incarnations may possess the same candle power as the original lamp, but the
original lamp is the beginning of all light. And because You are not one of the
creations of this material world, even after the annihilation of this world, Your
existence as You will continue.
“Because You are the original person, You are therefore described in the Gopälatäpané
(the Vedic Upaniñad), as well as in the Brahma-saàhitä, as govindam ädipuruñam.
Govinda is the original person, the cause of all causes. In the Bhagavad-gétä
also it is stated that You are the source of the Brahman effulgence. No one should
conclude that Your body is like an ordinary material body. Your body is akñara,
indestructible. The material body is always full of threefold miseries, but Your body
is sac-cid-änanda-vigraha: full of being, bliss, knowledge and eternality. You are also
niraïjana because Your pastimes, as the little son of mother Yaçodä or the Lord of
the gopés, are never contaminated by the material qualities. And although You
exhibited Yourself in so many cowherd boys, calves and cows, Your transcendental
potency is not reduced. You are always complete. As it is described in the Vedic
literature, even if the complete is taken away from the complete—Supreme Absolute
Truth—it yet remains the complete, Supreme Absolute Truth. And although many
expansions from the complete are visible, the complete is one without a second.
Since all Your pastimes are spiritual, there is no possibility of their being
contaminated by the material modes of nature. When You place Yourself
subordinate to Your father and mother, Nanda and Yaçodä, You are not reduced in
Your potency; this is an expression of Your loving attitude for Your devotees. There
is no other competitor or second identity than Yourself. A person with a poor fund
of knowledge concludes that Your pastimes and appearance are simply material
designations. You are transcendental to both nescience and knowledge, as it is
confirmed in the Gopäla-täpané. You are the original amåta (nectar of immortality),
indestructible. As it is confirmed in the Vedas, amåtaà çäçvataà brahme. Brahman
is the eternal, the supreme origin of everything, who has no birth or death.
“In the Upaniñads it is stated that the Supreme Brahman is as effulgent as the sun
and is the origin of everything, and anyone who can understand that original person
becomes liberated from the material conditional life. Anyone who can simply be
attached to You by devotional service can know Your actual position, Your birth,
appearance, disappearance and activities. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä, simply
by understanding Your constitutional position, appearance and disappearance, one
can be immediately elevated to the spiritual kingdom after quitting this present
body. Therefore to cross over the ocean of material nescience, an intelligent person
takes shelter of Your lotus feet and is easily transferred to the spiritual world. “There
are many so-called meditators who do not know that You are the Supreme Soul. As
stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, You are the Supreme Soul present in everyone’s heart.
Therefore there is no necessity of one’s meditating on something beyond You. One
who is always absorbed in meditation on Your original form of Kåñëa easily crosses
over the ocean of material nescience. But persons who do not know that You are the
Supreme Soul remain within this material world in spite of their so-called
meditation. If, by the association of Your devotees, a person comes to the knowledge
that Lord Kåñëa is the original Supersoul, then it is possible for him to cross over the
ocean of material ignorance. For instance, a person becomes transcendental to the
mistake of thinking a rope is a snake; as soon as one understands that the rope is not
a snake, he is liberated from fear. For one who understands You, therefore, through
Your personal teachings, as stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, or through Your pure
devotees, as stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam and all Vedic literatures—that You
are the ultimate goal of understanding—he need no more fear this material
existence.
“So-called liberation and bondage have no meaning for a person who is already
engaged in Your devotional service, just as a person who knows that the rope is not a
snake is unafraid. A devotee knows that this material world belongs to You, and he
therefore engages everything in Your transcendental loving service. Thus there is no
bondage for him. For a person who is already situated in the sun planet, there is no
question of the appearance or disappearance of the sun in the name of day or night.
It is also said that You, Kåñëa, are just like the sun, and mäyä is like darkness. When
the sun is present, there is no question of darkness; so, for those who are always in
Your presence, there is no question of bondage or liberation. They are already
liberated. On the other hand, persons who falsely think themselves to be liberated
without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, fall down because their intelligence is not
pure.
“If one therefore thinks that the Supersoul is something different from Your
personality and thus searches out the Supersoul somewhere else, in the forest or in
the caves of the Himälayas, his condition is very lamentable.
“Your teachings in the Bhagavad-gétä are that one should give up all other processes
of self- realization and simply surrender unto You, for that is complete. Because You
are supreme in everything, those who are searching after the Brahman effulgence
are also searching after You. And those who are searching after Supersoul realization
are also searching after You. You have stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that You Yourself,
by Your partial representation as the Supersoul, have entered into this material
cosmic manifestation. You are present in everyone’s heart and there is no need to
search out the Supersoul anywhere else. If someone does so, he is simply in
ignorance. One who is transcendental to such a position understands that You are
unlimited; You are both within and without. Your presence is everywhere. Instead of
searching for the Supersoul anywhere else, a devotee only concentrates his mind on
You within. Actually one who is liberated from the material concept of life can
search for You; others cannot. The simile of thinking the rope to be a snake is
applicable only to those who are still in ignorance of You. Actually the existence of a
snake besides the rope is only within the mind. The existence of mäyä, similarly, is
only within the mind. Mäyä is nothing but ignorance of Your personality. When one
forgets Your personality, that is the conditional state of mäyä. Therefore one who is
fixed upon You both internally and externally is not illusioned.
“One who has attained a little devotional service can understand Your glories. Even
one striving for Brahman realization or Paramätmä realization cannot understand
the different features of Your personality unless he treads the devotional path. One
may be the spiritual master of many impersonalists, or he may go to the forest or to a
cave or mountain and meditate as a hermit for many, many years, but he cannot
understand Your glories without being favored by a slight degree of devotional
service. Brahman realization or Paramätmä realization are also not possible even
after one searches for many, many years unless one is touched by the wonderful
effect of devotional service.
“My dear Lord, I pray that I may be so fortunate that, in this life or in another life,
wherever I may take my birth, I may be counted as one of Your devotees. Wherever I
may be, I pray that I may be engaged in Your devotional service. I do not even care
what form of life I get in the future, because I can see that even in the form of cows
and calves or cowherd boys, the devotees are so fortunate to be always engaged in
Your transcendental loving service and association. Therefore I wish to be one of
them instead of such an exalted person as I am now, for I am full of ignorance. The
gopés and cows of Våndävana are so fortunate that they have been able to supply
their breast milk to You. Persons who are engaged in performing great sacrifices and
offering many valuable goats in the sacrifice cannot attain the perfection of
understanding You, but simply by devotional service these innocent village women
and cows are all able to satisfy You with their milk. You have drunk their milk to
satisfaction, yet You are never satisfied by those engaged in performing sacrifices. I
am simply surprised, therefore, with the fortunate position of Mahäräja Nanda,
mother Yaçodä and the cowherd men and gopés, because You, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, are existing here as their most intimate
lovable object. My dear Lord, no one can actually appreciate the good fortune of
these residents of Våndävana. We are all demigods, controlling deities of the various
senses of the living entities, and we are proud of enjoying such privileges, but
actually there is no comparison between our position and the position of these
fortunate residents of Våndävana because they are actually relishing Your presence
and enjoying Your association by dint of their activities. We may be proud of being
controllers of the senses, but here the residents of Våndävana are so transcendental
that they are not under our control. Actually they are enjoying the senses through
service to You. I shall therefore consider myself fortunate to be given a chance to
take birth in this land of Våndävana in any of my future lives.
“My dear Lord, I am therefore not interested in either material opulences or
liberation. I am most humbly praying at Your lotus feet for You to please give me any
sort of birth within this Våndävana forest so that I may be able to be favored by the
dust of the feet of some of the devotees of Våndävana. If I am given the chance to
grow just as the humble grass in this land, that will be a glorious birth for me. But if I
am not so fortunate to take birth within the forest of Våndävana, I beg to be allowed
to take birth outside the immediate area of Våndävana so that when the devotees go
out they will walk over me. Even that would be a great fortune for me. I am just
aspiring for a birth in which I will be smeared by the dust of the devotees’ feet.
It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä that the purpose of Vedic knowledge is to find
Kåñëa. And it is said in the Brahma-saàhitä that it is very difficult to find Kåñëa,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by systematic reading of the Vedic literature.
But He is very easily available through the mercy of a pure devotee. The pure
devotees of Våndävana are fortunate because they can see Mukunda (Lord Kåñëa) all
the time. This word “mukunda” can be understood in two ways. Muk means
liberation. Lord Kåñëa can give liberation and therefore transcendental bliss. The
word also refers to His smiling face, which is just like the kunda flower. Mukha also
means face. The kunda flower is very beautiful, and it appears to be smiling. Thus
the comparison is made.
The difference between the pure devotees of Våndävana and other devotees is that
the residents of Våndävana have no other desire but to be associated with Kåñëa.
Kåñëa, being very kind to His devotees, fulfills their desire; because they always want
Kåñëa’s association, the Lord is always prepared to give it to them. The devotees of
Våndävana are also spontaneous lovers. They do not follow the regulative principles.
They are not required to strictly follow regulative principles because they are already
naturally developed in transcendental love for Kåñëa. Regulative principles are
required for persons who have not achieved the position of transcendental love.
Brahmä is also a devotee of the Lord, but he is subject to follow the regulative
principles. He prays to Kåñëa to give him the chance to take birth in Våndävana so
that he might be elevated to the platform of spontaneous love.
Lord Brahmä continued: “My Lord, sometimes I am puzzled as to how Your Lordship
will be able to repay, in gratitude, the devotional service of these residents of
Våndävana. Although I know that You are the supreme source of all benediction, I
am puzzled to know how You will be able to repay all the service that You are
receiving from these residents of Våndävana. I think of how You are so kind, so
magnanimous, that even Pütanä, who came to cheat You by dressing herself as a very
affectionate mother, was awarded liberation and the actual post of a mother. And
other demons belonging to the same family, such as Aghäsura and Bakäsura, were
also favored with liberation. Under the circumstances, I am puzzled. These residents
of Våndävana have given You everything—their bodies, their minds, their love,
their homes. Everything is being utilized for Your purpose. So how will You be able
to repay their debt? You have already given Yourself to Pütanä! I surmise that You
shall ever remain a debtor to the residents of Våndävana, being unable to repay their
loving service. My Lord, I can understand that the superexcellent service of the
residents of Våndävana is due to their spontaneously engaging all natural instincts in
Your service. It is said that attachment for material objects and home is due to
illusion, which makes a living entity conditioned in the material world. But this is
only the case for persons who are not in Kåñëa conscious. In the case of the residents
of Våndävana, such obstructions, as attachment to hearth and home, are
nonexistent. Because their attachment has been converted unto You, and their
home has been converted into a temple because You are always there, and because
they have forgotten everything for Your sake, there is no impediment. For a Kåñëa
conscious person, there is no such thing as impediments in hearth and home. Nor is
there illusion.
“I can also understand that Your appearance as a small cowherd boy, a child of the
cowherd men, is not at all a material activity. You are so much obliged by their
affection that You are here to enthuse them with more loving service by Your
transcendental presence. In Våndävana there is no distinction between material and
spiritual because everything is dedicated to Your loving service. My dear Lord, Your
Våndävana pastimes are simply to enthuse Your devotees. If someone takes Your
Våndävana pastimes to be material, he will be misled.
“My dear Lord Kåñëa, those who deride You, claiming that You have a material body
like an ordinary man, are described in the Bhagavad-gétä as demonic and less
intelligent. You are always transcendental. The nondevotees are cheated because
they consider You to be a material creation. Actually, You have assumed this body,
which resembles that of an ordinary cowherd boy, simply to increase the devotion
and transcendental bliss of Your devotees.
“My dear Lord, I have nothing to say about people who advertise that they have
already realized God or that by their realization they have themselves become God.
But as far as I am concerned, I admit frankly that for me it is not possible to realize
You by my body, mind or speech. What can I say about You, or how can I realize You
by my senses? I cannot even think of You perfectly with my mind, which is the
master of the senses. Your qualities, Your activities and Your body cannot be
conceived by any person within this material world. Only by Your mercy can one
understand, to some extent, what You are. My dear Lord, You are the Supreme Lord
of all creation, although I sometimes falsely think that I am the master of this
universe. I may be master of this universe, but there are innumerable universes, and
there are innumerable Brahmäs also who preside over these universes. But actually
You are the master of them all. As the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, You know
everything. Please, therefore accept me as Your surrendered servant. I hope that You
will excuse me for disturbing You in Your pastimes with Your friends and calves.
Now if You will kindly allow me, I will immediately leave so You can enjoy Your
friends and calves without my presence.
“My dear Lord Kåñëa, Your very name suggests that You are all-attractive. The
attraction of the sun and the moon are all due to You. By the attraction of the sun,
You are beautifying the very existence of the Yadu dynasty. With the attraction of
the moon, You are enhancing the potency of the land, the demigods, the brähmaëas,
the cows and the oceans. Because of Your supreme attraction, demons like Kaàsa
and others are annihilated. Therefore it is my deliberate conclusion that You are the
only worshipable Deity within the creation. Accept my humble obeisances until the
annihilation of this material world. As long as there is sunshine within this material
world, kindly accept my humble obeisances.”
In this way, Brahmä, the master of this universe, after offering humble and
respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
circumambulating Him three times, was ready to return to his abode known as
Brahmaloka. By His gesture, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gave him
permission to return. As soon as Brahmä left, Lord Çré Kåñëa immediately appeared
as He had on the very day the cows and cowherd boys had vanished.
Kåñëa had left His friends on the bank of the Yamunä while they were engaged in
lunch, and although He returned exactly one year later, the cowherd boys thought
that He had returned within a second. That is the way of Kåñëa’s different energies
and activities. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that Kåñëa Himself is residing in
everyone’s heart, and He causes both remembrance and forgetfulness. All living
entities are controlled by the supreme energy of the Lord, and sometimes they
remember and sometimes they forget their constitutional position. His friends, being
controlled in such a way, could not understand that for one whole year they were
absent from the Yamunä bank and were under the spell of Brahmä’s illusion. When
Kåñëa appeared before the boys, they thought, “Kåñëa has returned within a minute.”
They began to laugh, thinking that Kåñëa was not willing to leave their lunchtime
company. They were very jubilant and invited Him, “Dear friend Kåñëa, You have
come back so quickly! All right, we have not as yet begun our lunch, not even taken
one morsel of food. So please come and join us and let us eat together.” Kåñëa smiled
and accepted their invitation, and He began to enjoy the lunchtime company of His
friends. While eating, Kåñëa was thinking, “These boys believe that I have come
back within a second, but they do not know that for the last year I have been
involved with the mystic activities of Lord Brahmä.”
After finishing their lunch, Kåñëa and His friends and calves began to return to
their Vrajabhümi homes. While passing, they enjoyed seeing the dead carcass of
Aghäsura in the shape of a gigantic serpent. When Kåñëa returned home to
Vrajabhümi, He was seen by all the inhabitants of Våndävana. He was wearing a
peacock feather in His helmet, which was also decorated with forest flowers. Kåñëa
was also garlanded with flowers and painted with different colored minerals
collected from the caves of Govardhana Hill. Govardhana Hill is always famous for
supplying natural red dyes, and Kåñëa and His friends painted their bodies with
them. Each of them had a bugle made of buffalo horn and a stick and a flute, and
each called his respective calves by their particular names. They were so proud of
Kåñëa’s wonderful activities that, while entering the village, they all sang His glories.
All the gopés in Våndävana saw beautiful Kåñëa entering the village. The boys
composed nice songs describing how they were saved from being swallowed by the
great serpent and how the serpent was killed. Some described Kåñëa as the son of
Yaçodä, and others as the son of Nanda Mahäräja. “He is so wonderful that He saved
us from the clutches of the great serpent and killed him,” they said. But little did
they know that one year had passed since the killing of Aghäsura.
In this regard, Mahäräja Parékñit asked Çukadeva Gosvämé how the inhabitants of
Våndävana suddenly developed so much love for Kåñëa, although Kåñëa was not a
member of any of their families. Mahäräja Parékñit enquired, “During the absence of
the original cowherd boys, when Kåñëa expanded Himself, why is it that the boys’
parents became more loving toward Him than toward their own sons? Also, why did
the cows become so loving toward the calves, more than toward their own calves?”
Çukadeva Gosvämé told Mahäräja Parékñit that every living entity is actually most
attached to his own self. Outward paraphernalia such as home, family, friends,
country, society, wealth, opulence, reputation, etc., are all only secondary in pleasing
the living entity. They please only because they bring pleasure to the self. For this
reason, one is self-centered and is attached to his body and self more than he is to
relatives like wife, children, and friends. If there is some immediate danger to one’s
own person, he first of all takes care of himself, then others. That is natural. That
means, more than anything else, he loves his own self. The next important object of
affection, after his own self, is his material body. A person who has no information
of the spirit soul is very much attached to his material body, so much so that even in
old age he wants to preserve the body in so many artificial ways, thinking that his
old and broken body can be saved. Everyone is working hard day and night just to
give pleasure to his own self, under either the bodily or spiritual concept of life. We
are attached to material possessions because they give pleasure to the senses or to the
body. The attachment to the body is there only because the “I,” the spirit soul, is
within the body. Similarly, when one is further advanced, he knows that the spirit
soul is pleasing because it is part and parcel of Kåñëa. Ultimately, it is Kåñëa who is
pleasing and all-attractive. He is the Supersoul of everything. And in order to give us
this information, Kåñëa descends and tells us that the all-attractive center is He
Himself. Without being an expansion of Kåñëa, nothing can be attractive.
Whatever is attractive within the cosmic manifestation is due to Kåñëa. Kåñëa is
therefore the reservoir of all pleasure. The active principle of everything is Kåñëa,
and highly elevated transcendentalists see everything in connection with Him. In
the Caitanya-caritämåta it is stated that a mahäbhagavata, or highly advanced
devotee, sees Kåñëa as the active principle in all movable and immovable living
entities. Therefore he sees everything within this cosmic manifestation in relation to
Kåñëa. For the fortunate person who has taken shelter of Kåñëa as everything,
liberation is already there. He is no longer in the material world. This is also
confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä: Whoever is engaged in the devotional service of
Kåñëa is already on the brahma-bhüta or spiritual platform. The very name Kåñëa
suggests piety and liberation. Anyone who takes shelter of the lotus feet of Kåñëa
enters the boat for crossing over the ocean of nescience. For him, this vast expansion
of the material manifestation becomes as insignificant as a hoofprint. Kåñëa is the
center of all great souls, and He is the shelter of the material worlds.
For one who is on the platform of Kåñëa consciousness, Vaikuëöha, or the spiritual
world, is not far away. He does not live within the material world where there is
danger at every step. In this way Kåñëa consciousness was fully explained by
Çukadeva Gosvämé to Mahäräja Parékñit. Çukadeva Gosvämé even recited to the king
the statements and prayers of Lord Brahmä. These descriptions of Lord Kåñëa’s
pastimes with His cowherd boys, His eating with them on the bank of the Yamunä
and Lord Brahmä’s prayers unto Him, are all transcendental subject matters. Anyone
who hears, recites or chants them surely gets all his spiritual desires fulfilled. Thus
Kåñëa’s childhood appearance, His sporting with Balaräma in Våndävana, was
described.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fourteenth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Prayers
Offered by Lord Brahmä to Lord Kåñëa.”
15 / Killing of Dhenukäsura
In this way, Çré Kåñëa, along with His elder brother Balaräma, passed the childhood
age known as kaumära and stepped into the age of paugaëòa, from the sixth year up
to the tenth. At that time, all the cowherd men conferred and agreed to give those
boys who had passed their fifth year charge of the cows in the pasturing ground.
Given charge of the cows, Kåñëa and Balaräma traversed Våndävana, purifying the
land with Their footprints.
Accompanied by the cowherd boys and Balaräma, Kåñëa brought forward the cows
and played on His flute through the forest of Våndävana, which was full of flowers,
vegetables, and pasturing grass. The Våndävana forest was as sanctified as the clear
mind of a devotee and was full of bees, flowers and fruits. There were chirping birds
and clear water lakes with waters that could relieve one of all fatigues. Sweet
flavored breezes blew always, refreshing the mind and body. Kåñëa, with His friends
and Balaräma, entered the forest and, seeing the favorable situation, enjoyed the
atmosphere to the fullest extent. Kåñëa saw all the trees, overloaded with fruits and
fresh twigs, coming down to touch the ground as if welcoming Him by touching His
lotus feet. He was very pleased by the behavior of the trees, fruits and flowers, and
He began to smile realizing their desires.
Kåñëa then spoke to His elder brother Balaräma as follows: “My dear brother, You are
superior to all of us, and Your lotus feet are worshiped by the demigods. Just see how
these trees, full with fruits, have bent down to worship Your lotus feet. It appears
that they are trying to get out of the darkness of being obliged to accept the form of
trees. Actually, the trees born in the land of Våndävana are not ordinary living
entities. Having held the impersonal point of view in their past lives, they are now
put into this stationary condition of life, but now they have the opportunity of
seeing You in Våndävana, and they are praying for further advancement in spiritual
life through Your personal association. Generally the trees are living entities in the
modes of darkness. The impersonalist philosophers are in that darkness, but they
eradicate it by taking full advantage of Your presence. I think the drones that are
buzzing all around You must have been Your devotees in their past lives. They
cannot leave Your company because no one can be a better, more affectionate
master than You. You are the supreme and original Personality of Godhead, and the
drones are just trying to spread Your glories by chanting every moment. I think some
of them must be great sages, devotees of Your Lordship, and they are disguising
themselves in the form of drones because they are unable to give up Your company
even for a moment. My dear brother, You are the supreme worshipable Godhead.
Just see how the peacocks in great ecstasy are dancing before You. The deer, whose
behavior is just like the gopés, are welcoming You with the same affection. And the
cuckoos who are residing in this forest are receiving You with great joy because they
consider that Your appearance is so auspicious in their home. Even though they are
trees and animals, these residents of Våndävana are glorifying You. They are
prepared to welcome You to their best capacity, as is the practice of great souls in
receiving another great soul at home. As for the land, it is so pious and fortunate
that the footprints of Your lotus feet are marking its body.
“It is quite natural for these Våndävana inhabitants to thus receive a great
personality like You. The herbs, creepers and plants are also so fortunate to touch
Your lotus feet. And by Your touching the twigs with Your hands, these small plants
are also made glorious. As for the hills and the rivers, they too are now glorious
because You are glancing at them. Above all, the damsels of Vraja, the gopés,
attracted by Your beauty, are the most glorious, because You embrace them with
Your strong arms.”
In this way, both Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma began to enjoy the residents of
Våndävana to Their full satisfaction, along with the calves and cows on the bank of
the Yamunä. In some places both Kåñëa and Balaräma were accompanied by Their
friends. The boys were singing, imitating the humming sound of the drones and
accompanying Kåñëa and Balaräma, who were garlanded with forest flowers. While
walking, the boys sometimes imitated the quacking sound of the swans in the lakes,
or when they saw the peacocks dancing, they imitated them before Kåñëa. Kåñëa also
moved His neck, imitating the dancing and making His friends laugh.
The cows taken care of by Kåñëa had different names, and Kåñëa would call them
with love. After hearing Kåñëa calling, the cows would immediately respond by
mooing, and the boys would enjoy this exchange to their hearts’ content. They
would all imitate the sound vibrations made by the different kinds of birds, especially
the cakoras, peacocks, cuckoo and bhäradväjas. Sometimes, when they would see the
weaker animals fleeing out of fear of the sounds of tigers and lions, the boys, along
with Kåñëa and Balaräma, would imitate the animals and run away with them. When
they felt some fatigue, they would sit down, and Balaräma would put His head on the
lap of one of the boys just to take rest, and Kåñëa would immediately come and begin
massaging the legs of Balaräma. And sometimes He would take a palm fan and fan
the body of Balaräma, causing a pleasing breeze to relieve Him of His fatigue. Other
boys would sometimes dance or sing while Balaräma took rest, and sometimes they
would wrestle amongst themselves or jump. When the boys were thus engaged, Kåñëa
would immediately join them, and catching their hands, He would enjoy their
company and laugh and praise their activities. When Kåñëa would feel tired and
fatigued, He would sometimes take shelter of the root of a big tree, or the lap of a
cowherd boy, and lie down. When He would lie down with a boy or a root as His
pillow, some of the boys would come and massage His legs, and some would fan His
body with a fan made from leaves. Some of the more talented boys would sing in very
sweet voices to please Him. Thus very soon His fatigue would go away. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, whose legs are tended by the goddess of fortune,
shared Himself with the cowherd boys as one of them, expanding His internal
potency to appear exactly like a village boy. But despite His appearing just like a
village boy, there were occasions when He proved Himself to be the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Sometimes men pose themselves as the Supreme Personality
of Godhead and cheat innocent people, but they can only cheat; they cannot exhibit
the potency of God.
While Kåñëa was thus engaged in exhibiting His internal potency along with the
supermost fortunate friends, there occurred another chance for Him to exhibit the
superhuman powers of Godhead. His most intimate friends Çrédämä, Subala and
Stokakåñëa began to address Kåñëa and Balaräma with great love and affection thus:
“Dear Balaräma, You are very powerful; Your arms are very strong. Dear Kåñëa, You
are very expert in killing all kinds of disturbing demons. Will You kindly note that
just near this place there is a big forest of the name Tälavana. This forest is full of
palm trees, and all the trees are filled with fruits. Some are falling down, and some of
them are very ripe even in the trees. It is a very nice place, but because of a great
demon, Dhenukäsura, it is very difficult to go there. No one can reach the trees to
collect the fruits. Dear Kåñëa and Balaräma, this demon is present there in the form
of an ass, and he is surrounded by similar demon friends who assume the same shape.
All of them are very strong, so it is very difficult to approach this place. Dear
brothers, You are the only persons who can kill such demons. Other than You, no
one can go there for fear of being killed. Not even animals go there, and no birds are
sleeping there; they have all left. One can only appreciate the sweet aroma that is
coming from that place. It appears that up until now, no one has tasted the sweet
fruits there, either on the tree or on the ground. Dear Kåñëa, to tell You frankly, we
are very attracted by this sweet aroma. Dear Balaräma, let us all go there and enjoy
these fruits. The aroma of the fruits is now spread everywhere. Don’t You smell it
from here?”
When Balaräma and Kåñëa were thus petitioned by Their smiling, intimate friends,
They were inclined to please them, and They began to proceed towards the forest,
surrounded by all Their friends. Immediately upon entering the Tälavana, Balaräma
began to yank the trees with His arms, exhibiting the strength of an elephant.
Because of this jerking, all the ripe fruits fell down on the ground. Upon hearing the
sound of the falling fruits, the demon Dhenukäsura, who was living there in the form
of an ass, began to approach with great force, shaking the whole field so that all the
trees began to move as if there were an earthquake. The demon appeared first before
Balaräma and began to kick His chest with his hind legs. At first, Balaräma did not
say anything, but the demon with great anger began to kicked Him again more
vehemently. This time Balaräma immediately caught hold of the legs of the ass with
one hand and, wheeling him around, threw him into the treetops. While he was
being wheeled around by Balaräma, the demon lost his life. Balaräma threw the
demon into the biggest palm tree about, and the demon’s body was so heavy that the
palm tree fell upon other trees, and several fell down. It appeared as if a great
hurricane had passed through the forest, and all the trees were falling down, one
after another. This exhibition of extraordinary strength is not astonishing because
Balaräma is the Personality of Godhead known as Ananta Çeñanäga, who is holding
all the planets on the hoods of His millions of heads. The whole cosmic
manifestation is maintained by Him exactly as two threads hold the weaving of a
cloth.
After the demon was thrown into the trees, all the friends and associates of
Dhenukäsura immediately assembled and attacked Balaräma and Kåñëa with great
force. They were determined to retaliate and avenge the death of their friend. But
Kåñëa and Balaräma began to catch each of the asses by the hind legs and, exactly in
the same way, wheeled them around. Thus They killed all of them by throwing them
into the palm trees. Because of the dead bodies of the asses, there was a panoramic
scene. It appeared as if clouds of various colors were assembled in the trees. Hearing
of this great incident, the demigods from the higher planets began to shower flowers
on Kåñëa and Balaräma and began to beat their drums and offer devotional prayers.
A few days after the killing of Dhenukäsura, people began to come into the Tälavana
forest to collect the fruits, and animals began to return without fear to feed on the
nice grasses grown there. Just by chanting or hearing these transcendental activities
and pastimes of the brothers Kåñëa and Balaräma, one can amass pious activities.
When Kåñëa, Balaräma and Their friends entered the village of Våndävana, They
played Their flutes, and the boys praised Their uncommon activities in the forest.
Their faces were decorated with tilaka and smeared with the dust raised by the cows,
and Kåñëa’s head was decorated with a peacock feather. Both He and Balaräma
played Their flutes, and the young gopés were joyous to see Kåñëa returning home.
All the gopés in Våndävana remained very morose on account of Kåñëa’s absence. All
day they were thinking of Kåñëa in the forest or of Him herding cows in the pasture.
When they saw Kåñëa returning, all their anxieties were immediately relieved, and
they began to look at His face the way drones hover over the honey of the lotus
flower. When Kåñëa entered the village, the young gopés smiled and laughed. Kåñëa,
while playing the flute, enjoyed the beautiful smiling faces of the gopés.
Then Kåñëa and Balaräma were immediately received by Their affectionate mothers,
Yaçodä and Rohiëé, and, according to the time’s demands, they began to fulfill the
desires of their affectionate sons. Simultaneously, the mothers rendered service and
bestowed benediction upon their transcendental sons. They very nicely took care of
their children by bathing and dressing Them. Kåñëa was dressed in bluish garments,
and Balaräma was dressed in yellowish garments, and They were given all sorts of
ornaments and flower garlands. Being relieved of the fatigue of Their day’s work in
the pasturing ground, They looked refreshed and very beautiful.
They were given palatable dishes by Their mothers, and They pleasantly ate
everything. After eating, They were seated nicely on clean bedding, and the mothers
began to sing various songs of Their activities. As soon as They sat down on the
bedding, They very quickly fell fast asleep. In this way, Kåñëa and Balaräma used to
enjoy Våndävana life as cowherd boys.
Sometimes Kåñëa used to go with His boy friends and with Balaräma, and sometimes
He used to go alone with His friends to the bank of the Yamunä and tend the cows.
Gradually, the summer season arrived, and one day, while in the field, the boys and
cows became very thirsty and began to drink the water of the Yamunä. The river,
however, was made poisonous by the venom of the great serpent known as Käliya.
Because the water was so poisonous, the boys and cows became visibly affected
immediately after drinking. They suddenly fell down on the ground, apparently
dead. Then Kåñëa, who is the life of all lives, simply cast His merciful glance over
them, and all the boys and cows regained consciousness and began to look at one
another with great astonishment. They could understand that by drinking the water
of Yamunä they had died and that the merciful glance of Kåñëa restored their life.
Thus they appreciated the mystic power of Kåñëa, who is known as Yogeçvara, the
master of all mystic yogés.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifteenth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Killing of
Dhenukäsura.”
16 / Subduing Käliya
When He understood that the water of the Yamunä was being polluted by the black
serpent Käliya, Lord Kåñëa took action against him and made him leave the Yamunä
and go elsewhere, and thus the water became purified.
When this story was being narrated by Çukadeva Gosvämé, Mahäräja Parékñit
became eager to hear more about Kåñëa’s childhood pastimes. He inquired from
Çukadeva Gosvämé how Kåñëa chastised Käliya, who was living in the water for
many years. Actually, Mahäräja Parékñit was becoming more and more enthusiastic
to hear the transcendental pastimes of Kåñëa, and his inquiry was made with great
interest.
Çukadeva Gosvämé narrated the story as follows. Within the river Yamunä there was
a great lake, and in that lake the black serpent Käliya used to live. Because of his
poison, the whole area was so contaminated that it emanated a poisonous vapor
twenty-four hours a day. If a bird happened to even pass over the spot, he would
immediately fall down in the water and die.
Due to the poisonous effect of the Yamunä’s vapors, the trees and grass near the
bank of the Yamunä had all dried up. Lord Kåñëa saw the effect of the great serpent’s
poison: the whole river that ran before Våndävana was now deadly.
Kåñëa, who advented Himself just to kill all undesirable elements in the world,
immediately climbed up in a big kadamba tree on the bank of the Yamunä. The
kadamba is a round yellow flower, generally seen only in the Våndävana area. After
climbing to the top of the tree, He tightened His belt cloth and, flapping His arms
just like a wrestler, jumped in the midst of the poisonous lake. The kadamba tree
from which Kåñëa had jumped was the only tree there which was not dead. Some
commentators say that due to touching the lotus feet of Kåñëa, the tree became
immediately alive. In some other Puräëas it is stated that Garuòa, the eternal carrier
of Viñëu, knew that Kåñëa would take this action in the future, so he put some
nectar on this tree to preserve it. When Lord Kåñëa jumped into the water, the river
overflooded its banks, as if something very large had fallen into it. This exhibition of
Kåñëa’s strength is not at all uncommon because He is the reservoir of all strength.
When Kåñëa was swimming about, just like a great strong elephant, He made a
tumultuous sound which the great black serpent Käliya could hear. The tumult was
intolerable for him, and he could understand that this was an attempt to attack his
home. Therefore he immediately came before Kåñëa. Käliya saw that Kåñëa was
indeed worth seeing because His body was so beautiful and delicate; its color
resembled that of a cloud, and His legs resembled a lotus flower. He was decorated
with Çrévatsa, jewels and yellow garments. He was smiling with a beautiful face and
was playing in the river Yamunä with great strength. But in spite of Kåñëa’s beautiful
features, Käliya felt great anger within his heart, and thus he grabbed Kåñëa with his
mighty coils. Seeing the incredible way in which Kåñëa was enveloped in the coils of
the serpent, the affectionate cowherd boys and inhabitants of Våndävana
immediately became stunned out of fear. They had dedicated everything to Kåñëa,
their lives, property, affection, activities—everything was for Kåñëa—and when
they saw Him in that condition, they became overwhelmed with fear and fell down
on the ground. All the cows, bulls and small calves became overwhelmed with grief,
and they began to look at Him with great anxiety. Out of fear they could only cry in
agony and stand erect on the bank, unable to help their beloved Kåñëa.
While this scene was taking place on the bank of the Yamunä, there were ill omens
manifest. The earth trembled, meteors fell from the sky, and the bodies of men
shivered. All these are indications of great immediate danger. Observing the
inauspicious signs, the cowherd men, including Mahäräja Nanda, became very
anxious out of fear. At the same time they were informed that Kåñëa had gone to the
pasturing ground without His elder brother, Balaräma. As soon as Nanda and Yaçodä
and the cowherd men heard this news, they became even more anxious. Out of their
great affection for Kåñëa, unaware of the extent of Kåñëa’s potencies, they became
overwhelmed with grief and anxiety because they had nothing dearer than Kåñëa
and because they dedicated their everything—life, property, affection, mind and
activities—to Kåñëa. Because of their great attachment for Kåñëa, they thought,
“Today Kåñëa is surely going to be vanquished!”
All the inhabitants of Våndävana came out of the village to see Kåñëa. The assembly
consisted of children, young and old men, women, animals and all living entities;
they knew that Kåñëa was their only means of sustenance. While this was
happening, Balaräma, who is the master of all knowledge, stood there simply smiling.
He knew how powerful His younger brother Kåñëa was and that there was no cause
for anxiety when Kåñëa was fighting with an ordinary serpent of the material world.
He did not, therefore, personally take any part in their concern. On the other hand,
all the inhabitants of Våndävana, being disturbed, began to search out Kåñëa by
following the impression of His footprints on the ground, and thus they moved
towards the bank of the Yamunä. Finally, by following the footprints marked with
flag, bow and conchshell, the inhabitants of Våndävana arrived at the river bank
and saw that all the cows and boys were weeping to behold Kåñëa enwrapped in the
coils of the black serpent. Then they became still more overwhelmed with grief.
While Balaräma was smiling to see their lamentation, all the inhabitants of
Vrajabhümi merged into the ocean of grief because they thought that Kåñëa was
finished. Although the residents of Våndävana did not know much about Kåñëa,
their love for Him was beyond comparison. As soon as they saw that Kåñëa was in
the river Yamunä enveloped by the serpent Käliya and that all the boys and cows
were lamenting, they simply began to think of Kåñëa’s friendship, His smiling face,
His sweet words and His dealings with them. Thinking of all these and believing that
their Kåñëa was now within the clutches of Käliya, they at once felt that the three
worlds had become vacant. Lord Caitanya also said that He was seeing the three
worlds as vacant for want of Kåñëa. This is the highest stage of Kåñëa consciousness.
Almost all of the inhabitants of Våndävana had the highest ecstasy, love for Kåñëa.
When mother Yaçodä arrived, she wanted to enter the river Yamunä, and being
checked, she fainted. Other friends who were equally aggrieved were shedding tears
like torrents of rain or waves of the river, but in order to bring mother Yaçodä to
consciousness, they began to speak loudly about the transcendental pastimes of
Kåñëa. Mother Yaçodä remained still, as if dead, because her consciousness was
concentrated on the face of Kåñëa. Nanda and all others who dedicated everything,
including their lives, to Kåñëa, were ready to enter the waters of the Yamunä, but
Lord Balaräma checked them because He was in perfect knowledge that there was no
danger.
For two hours Kåñëa remained like an ordinary child gripped in the coils of Käliya,
but when He saw that all the inhabitants of Gokula—including His mother and
father, the gopés, the boys and the cows—were just on the point of death and that
they had no shelter for salvation from imminent death, Kåñëa immediately freed
Himself. He began to expand His body, and when the serpent tried to hold Him, he
felt a great strain. On account of the strain, his coils slackened, and he had no other
alternative but to let loose the Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, from his grasp. Käliya
then became very angry, and his great hoods expanded. He exhaled poisonous fumes
from his nostrils, his eyes blazed like fire, and flames issued from his mouth. The
great serpent remained still for some time, looking at Kåñëa. Licking his lips with
bifurcated tongues, the serpent looked at Kåñëa with double hoods, and his eyesight
was full of poison. Kåñëa immediately pounced upon him, just as Garuòa swoops
upon a snake. Thus attacked, Käliya looked for an opportunity to bite Him, but
Kåñëa moved around him. As Kåñëa and Käliya moved in a circle, the serpent
gradually became fatigued, and his strength seemed to diminish considerably. Kåñëa
immediately pressed down the serpent’s hoods and jumped up on them. The Lord’s
lotus feet became tinged with red from the rays of the jewels on the snake’s hoods.
Then He who is the original artist of all fine arts, such as dancing, began to dance
upon the hoods of the serpent, although they were moving to and fro. Upon seeing
this, denizens from the upper planets began to shower flowers, beat drums, play
different types of flutes and sing various prayers and songs. In this way, all the
denizens of heaven, such as the Gandharvas, Siddhas and demigods, became very
pleased.
While Kåñëa was dancing on his hoods, Käliya tried to push Him down with some of
his other hoods. Käliya had about a hundred hoods, but Kåñëa took control of them.
He began to dash Käliya with His lotus feet, and this was more than the serpent
could bear. Gradually, Käliya was reduced to struggling for his very life. He vomited
all kinds of refuse and exhaled fire. While throwing up poisonous material from
within, Käliya became reduced in his sinful situation. Out of great anger, he began to
struggle for existence and tried to raise one of his hoods to kill the Lord. The Lord
immediately captured that hood and subdued it by kicking it and dancing on it. It
actually appeared as if the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viñëu was being
worshiped; the poisons emanating from the mouth of the serpent appeared to be like
flower offerings. Käliya then began to vomit blood instead of poison; he was
completely fatigued. His whole body appeared to be broken by the kicks of the Lord.
Within his mind, however, he finally began to understand that Kåñëa was the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he began to surrender unto Him. He realized
that Kåñëa was the Supreme Lord, the master of everything.
The wives of the serpent, known as the Nägapatnés, saw that their husband was
being subdued by the kicking of the Lord, within whose womb the whole universe
remains. Käliya’s wives prepared to worship the Lord, although, in their haste, their
dress, hair and ornaments became disarrayed. They also surrendered unto the
Supreme Lord and began to pray. They appeared before Him, put forward their
offspring and anxiously offered respectful obeisances, falling down on the bank of
the Yamunä. The Nägapatnés knew that Kåñëa is the shelter of all surrendered souls,
and they desired to release their husband from the impending danger by pleasing the
Lord with their prayers.
The Nägapatnés began to offer their prayers as follows: “O dear Lord, You are equal
to everyone. For You there is no distinction between Your sons, friends or enemies.
Therefore the punishment which You have so kindly offered to Käliya is exactly
befitting. O Lord, You have descended especially for the purpose of annihilating all
kinds of disturbing elements within the world, and because You are the Absolute
Truth, there is no difference between Your mercy and punishment. We think,
therefore, that this apparent punishment to Käliya is actually some benediction. We
consider that Your punishment is Your great mercy upon us because when You
punish someone it is to be understood that the reactions of his sinful activities are
eradicated. It is already clear that this creature appearing in the body of a serpent
must have been overburdened with all kinds of sin; otherwise, how could he have the
body of a serpent? Your dancing on his hoods reduces all the sinful results of actions
caused by his having this body of a serpent. It is, therefore, very auspicious that You
have become angry and have punished him in this way. We are very astonished to
see how You have become so pleased with this serpent who evidently performed
various religious activities in his past lives. Everyone must have been pleased by his
undergoing all kinds of penances and austerities, and he must have executed
universal welfare activities for all living creatures.”
The Nägapatnés confirm that one cannot come in contact with Kåñëa without
having executed pious activities in devotional service in his previous lives. As Lord
Caitanya advised in His Çikñäñöaka, one has to execute devotional service by humbly
chanting the Hare Kåñëa mantra, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street
and not expecting honor for himself but offering all kinds of honor to others. The
Nägapatnés were astonished that, although Käliya had the body of a serpent as the
result of grievous sinful activities, at the same time he was in contact with the Lord
to the extent that the Lord’s lotus feet were touching his hoods. Certainly this was
not the ordinary result of pious activities. These two contradictory facts astonished
them. Thus they continued to pray: “O dear Lord, we are simply astonished to see
that he is so fortunate as to have the dust of Your lotus feet on his head. This is a
fortune sought after by great saintly persons. Even the goddess of fortune underwent
severe austerities just to have the blessing of the dust of Your lotus feet, so how is it
that Käliya is so easily getting this dust on his head? We have heard from
authoritative sources that those who are blessed with the dust of Your lotus feet do
not care even for the highest post within the universe, namely the post of Lord
Brahmä, or the kingship of heavenly planets, or the sovereignty of this planet. Nor
do such persons desire to rule the planets above this earth, such as Siddhaloka; nor
do they aspire for the mystic powers achieved by the yoga process. Nor do the pure
devotees aspire for liberation by becoming one with You. My Lord, although he is
born in a species of life which is fostered by the most abominable modes of material
nature, accompanied with the quality of anger, this king of the serpents has achieved
something very, very rare. Living entities who are wandering within this universe
and getting different species of life can very easily achieve the greatest benediction
only by Your mercy.”
It is also confirmed in the Caitanya-caritämåta that the living entities are wandering
within the universe in various species of life, but by the mercy of Kåñëa and the
spiritual master, they can get the seed of devotional service, and thus their path of
liberation can be cleared.
“We therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto You,” the Nägapatnés continued,
“our dear Lord, because You are the Supreme Person, You are living as the Supersoul
within every living entity; although You are transcendental to the cosmic
manifestation, everything is resting in You. You are the personified indefatigable
eternal time. The entire time force is existing in You, and You are therefore the seer
and the embodiment of total time in the shape of past, present and future, month,
day, hour, moment—everything. In other words, O Lord, You can see perfectly all
the activities happening in every moment, in every hour, in every day, in every year,
past, present and future. You are Yourself the universal form, and yet You are
different from this universe. You are simultaneously one and different from the
universe. We therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto You. You are Yourself
the whole universe, and yet You are the creator of the whole universe. You are the
superintendent and maintainer of this whole universe, and You are its original
cause. Although You are present within this universe by Your three qualitative
incarnations, Brahmä, Viñëu, and Mahesvara, You are transcendental to the
material creation. Although You are the cause of the appearance of all kinds of
living entities—their senses, their lives, their minds, their intelligence—You are to
be realized by Your internal energy. Let us therefore offer our respectful obeisances
unto You, who are unlimited, finer than the finest, the center of all creation and
knower of everything. Different varieties of philosophical speculators try to reach
You. You are the ultimate goal of all philosophical efforts, and You are actually
described by all philosophies and by different kinds of doctrines. Let us offer our
respectful obeisances unto You, because You are the origin of all scripture and the
source of knowledge. You are the root of all evidences, and You are the Supreme
Person who can bestow upon us the supreme knowledge. You are the cause of all
kinds of desires, and You are the cause of all kinds of satisfaction. You are the Vedas
personified. Therefore we offer You our respectful obeisances.
“Our dear Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, and You are
also the supreme enjoyer now appeared as the son of Vasudeva, who is a
manifestation of the pure state of goodness. You are the predominating Deity of
mind and intelligence, Pradyumna and Aniruddha, and You are the Lord of all
Vaiñëavas. By Your expansion as catur-vyüha—namely Vasudeva, Saìkarñaëa,
Aniruddha and Pradyumna—You are the cause of the development of mind and
intelligence. By Your activities only, the living entities become covered by
forgetfulness or discover their real identity. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavadgétä
(Fifteenth Chapter): the Lord is sitting as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, and
due to His presence the living entity either forgets himself or revives his original
identity. We can partially understand that You are within our hearts as the witness
of all our activities, but it is very difficult to appreciate Your presence, although
every one of us can do so to some extent. You are the supreme controller of both the
material and spiritual energies; therefore You are the supreme leader, although You
are different from this cosmic manifestation. You are the witness and creator and
the very ingredient of this cosmic manifestation. We therefore offer our respectful
obeisances unto You. “Our dear Lord, in the matter of creating this cosmic
manifestation, personally You have nothing to exert; by expending Your different
kinds of energy—namely the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of
ignorance—You can create, maintain and annihilate this cosmic manifestation. As
the controller of the entire time force, You can simply glance over the material
energy, create this universe and energize the different forces of material nature
which are acting differently in different creatures. No one can estimate, therefore,
how Your activities are going on within this world. Our dear Lord, although You
have expanded into the three principal deities of this universe—namely Lord
Brahmä, Lord Viñëu and Lord Çiva—for creation, maintenance and destruction,
Your appearance as Lord Viñëu is actually for the benediction of living creatures.
Therefore, for those who are actually peaceful and who are aspiring after the
supreme peace, worship of Your peaceful appearance as Lord Viñëu is recommended.
O Lord, we are submitting our prayers unto You. You can appreciate that this poor
serpent is going to give up his life. You know that for us women our lives and
everything are our husband’s; therefore, we are praying unto You that You kindly
excuse Käliya, our husband, because if this serpent dies, then we shall be in great
difficulty. Looking upon us only, please excuse this great offender. Our dear Lord,
every living creature is Your offspring, and You maintain everyone. This serpent is
also Your offspring, and You can excuse him although he has offended You,
undoubtedly without knowing Your potency. We are praying that he may be excused
this time. Our dear Lord, we are offering our loving service unto You because we are
all eternal servitors of Your Lordship. You can order us and ask us to do whatever
You please. Every living being can be relieved from all kinds of despair if he agrees to
abide by Your orders.”
After the Nägapatnés submitted their prayers, Lord Kåñëa released Käliya from his
punishment. Käliya was already unconscious from being struck by the Lord. Upon
regaining consciousness and being released from the punishment, Käliya got back his
life force and the working power of his senses. With folded hands, he humbly began
to pray to the Supreme Lord Kåñëa: “My dear Lord, I have been born in such a
species that by nature I am angry and envious, being in the darkest region of the
mode of ignorance. Your Lordship knows well that it is very difficult to give up one’s
natural instincts, although by such instincts the living creature transmigrates from
one body to another.” It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä that it is very
difficult to get out of the clutches of material nature, but if anyone surrenders unto
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, the modes of material nature can no
longer act on him. “My dear Lord,” Käliya continued, “You are therefore the original
creator of all kinds of modes of material nature by which the universe is created. You
are the cause of the different kinds of mentality possessed by living creatures by
which they have obtained different varieties of bodies. My dear Lord, I am born as a
serpent; therefore, by natural instinct, I am very angry. How is it then possible to
give up my acquired nature without Your mercy? It is very difficult to get out of the
clutches of Your mäyä. By Your mäyä we remain enslaved. My dear Lord, kindly
excuse me for my inevitable material tendencies. Now You can punish me or save me
as You desire.”
After hearing this, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who was acting as a small
human child, ordered the serpent thus: “You must immediately leave this place and
go to the ocean. Leave without delay. You can take with you all your offspring, wives
and everything that you possess. Don’t pollute the waters of the Yamunä. Let it be
drunk by My cows and cowherd boys without hindrance.” The Lord then declared
that the order given to the Käliya snake be recited and heard by everyone so that no
one need fear Käliya any longer.
Anyone who hears the narration of the Käliya serpent and his punishment will need
fear no more the envious activities of snakes. The Lord also declared: “If one takes a
bath in the Käliya lake, where My cowherd boy friends and I have bathed, or if one,
fasting for a day, offers oblations to the forefathers from the water of this lake, he
will be relieved from all kinds of sinful reaction.” The Lord also assured Käliya: “You
came here out of fear of Garuòa, who wanted to eat you in the beautiful land by the
ocean. Now, after seeing the marks where I have touched your head with My lotus
feet, Garuòa will not disturb you.”
The Lord was pleased with Käliya and his wives. Immediately after hearing His
order, the wives began to worship Him with great offerings of nice garments, flowers,
garlands, jewels, ornaments, sandal pulp, lotus flowers, and nice eatable fruits. In this
way they pleased the master of Garuòa, of whom they were very much afraid. Then,
obeying the orders of Lord Kåñëa, all of them left the lake within the Yamunä.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Sixteenth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Subduing
Käliya.”
17 / Extinguishing the Forest Fire
King Parékñit, after hearing of the chastisement of Käliya, inquired from Çukadeva
Gosvämé as to why Käliya left his beautiful land and why Garuòa was so antagonistic
to him. Çukadeva Gosvämé informed the King that the island known as Nägälaya
was inhabited by serpents and that Käliya was one of the chief serpents there. Being
accustomed to eating snakes, Garuòa used to come to this island and kill many
serpents at his will. Some of them he actually ate, but some were unnecessarily killed.
The reptile society became so disturbed that their leader, Väsuki, appealed to Lord
Brahmä for protection. Lord Brahmä made an arrangement by which Garuòa would
not create a disturbance: on each half-moon day, the reptile community would offer
a serpent to Garuòa. The serpent was to be kept underneath a tree as a sacrificial
offering to Garuòa. Garuòa was satisfied with this offering, and therefore he did not
disturb any other serpents.
But gradually, Käliya took advantage of this situation. He was unnecessarily puffed
up by the volume of his accumulated poison, as well as by his material power, and he
thought, “Why should Garuòa be offered this sacrifice?” He then ceased offering any
sacrifice; instead, he himself ate the offering intended for Garuòa. When Garuòa,
the great devotee-carrier of Viñëu, understood that Käliya was eating the offered
sacrifices, he became very angry and quickly rushed to the island to kill the offensive
serpent. Käliya tried to fight Garuòa and faced him with his many hoods and
poisonous sharp teeth. Käliya attempted to bite him, and Garuòa, the son of Tärkñya,
in great anger and with the great force deserving the carrier of Lord Viñëu, struck
the body of Käliya with his effulgent golden wings. Käliya, who is also known as
Kadrüsuta, son of Kadrü, immediately fled to the lake known as Käliyadaha,
underneath the Yamunä River, which Garuòa could not approach.
Käliya took shelter within the water of the Yamunä for the following reason. Just as
Garuòa went to the island of the Käliya snake, so he also used to go to the Yamunä
to catch fish to eat. There was, however, a great yogi known as Saubhari Muni, who
used to meditate within the water there and who was sympathetic with the fish. He
asked Garuòa not to come there and disturb the fish. Although Garuòa was not
under anyone’s order, being the carrier of Lord Viñëu, he did not disobey the order
of the great yogi. Instead of staying and eating many fish, he carried off one big fish,
who was their leader. Saubhari Muni was sorry that one of the leaders of the fish was
taken away by Garuòa, and thinking of their protection, he cursed Garuòa in the
following words: “Henceforward from this day, if Garuòa comes here to catch fish,
then—I say this with all my strength—he will be immediately killed.”
This curse was known only to Käliya. Käliya was, therefore, confident that Garuòa
would not be able to come there, and so he thought it wise to take shelter of the lake
within the Yamunä. But Käliya’s taking shelter of Saubhari Muni was not successful;
he was driven away from the Yamunä by Kåñëa, the master of Garuòa. It may be
noted that Garuòa is directly related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is
so powerful that he is never subjected to anyone’s order or curse. Actually the
cursing of Garuòa—who is stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam to be of the stature of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavän—was an offense on the part of
Saubhari Muni. Although Garuòa did not try to retaliate, the Muni was not saved
from his offensive act against a great Vaiñëava personality. Due to this offense,
Saubhari fell down from his yogic position and afterwards became a householder, a
sense enjoyer in the material world. The falldown of Saubhari Muni, who was
supposed to be absorbed in spiritual bliss by meditation, is an instruction to the
offender of Vaiñëavas.
When Kåñëa finally came out of Käliya’s lake, He was seen by all His friends and
relatives on the bank of the Yamunä. He appeared before them nicely decorated,
smeared all over with candana pulp, bedecked with valuable jewels and stones, and
almost completely covered with gold. The inhabitants of Våndävana, cowherd boys
and men, mother Yaçodä, Mahäräja Nanda and all the cows and calves, saw Kåñëa
coming from the Yamunä, and it was as though they had recovered their very life.
When a person regains his life, naturally he becomes absorbed in pleasure and
joyfulness. They each in turn pressed Kåñëa to their chests, and thus they felt a great
relief. Mother Yaçodä, Rohiëé, Mahäräja Nanda and the cowherd men became so
happy that they embraced Kåñëa and thought they had achieved their ultimate goal
of life.
Balaräma also embraced Kåñëa, but He was laughing because He had known what
would happen to Kåñëa when everyone else was so overwhelmed with anxiety. All
the trees on the bank of the Yamunä, all the cows, bulls and calves were full of
pleasure because of Kåñëa’s appearance there. The brähmaëa inhabitants of
Våndävana, along with their wives, immediately came to congratulate Kåñëa and His
family members. Brahmanas are considered to be the spiritual masters of society.
They offered their blessings to Kåñëa and the family on account of Kåñëa’s release.
They also asked Mahäräja Nanda to give them some charity on that occasion. Being
so pleased by Kåñëa’s return, Mahäräja Nanda began to give many cows and much
gold in charity to the brähmaëas. While Nanda Mahäräja was thus engaged, mother
Yaçodä simply embraced Kåñëa and made Him sit on her lap while she shed tears
continually.
Since it was almost night, and all the inhabitants of Våndävana, including the cows
and calves, were very tired, they decided to take their rest on the river bank. In the
middle of the night, while they were taking rest, there was suddenly a great forest
fire, and it quickly appeared that the fire would soon devour all the inhabitants of
Våndävana. As soon as they felt the warmth of the fire, they immediately took
shelter of Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although He was playing just
like their child. They began to say, “Our dear Kåñëa! O Supreme Personality of
Godhead! Our dear Balaräma, the reservoir of all strength! Please try to save us from
this all devouring and devastating fire. We have no other shelter than You. This
devastating fire will swallow us all!” Thus they prayed to Kåñëa, saying that they
could not take any shelter other than His lotus feet. Lord Kåñëa, being
compassionate upon His own townspeople, immediately swallowed up the whole
forest fire and saved them. This was not impossible for Kåñëa because He is
unlimited. He has unlimited power to do anything He desires.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Seventeenth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Extinguishing the Forest Fire.”
18 / Killing the Demon Pralambäsura
After extinguishing the devastating fire, Kåñëa, surrounded by His relatives, friends,
cows, calves and bulls and glorified by their singing, again entered Våndävana, which
is always full of cows. While Kåñëa and Balaräma were enjoying life in Våndävana, in
the midst of the cowherd boys and girls, the season gradually changed to summer.
The summer season in India is not very much welcomed because of the excessive
heat, but in Våndävana everyone was pleased because summer there appeared just
like spring. This was possible only because Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma, who are the
controllers even of Lord Brahmä and Lord Çiva, were residing there. In Våndävana
there are many falls which are always pouring water, and the sound is so sweet that it
covers the sound of the crickets. And because water flows all over, the forest always
looks very green and beautiful.
The inhabitants of Våndävana were never disturbed by the scorching heat of the sun
or the high summer temperatures. The lakes of Våndävana are surrounded by green
grasses, and various kinds of lotus flowers bloom there, such as the kalhärakaïjotpala,
and the air blowing in Våndävana carries the aromatic pollen of those
lotus flowers. When the particles of water from the waves of the Yamunä, the lakes
and the waterfalls, touched the bodies of the inhabitants of Våndävana, they
automatically felt a cooling effect. Therefore they were practically undisturbed by
the summer season.
Våndävana is such a nice place. Flowers are always blooming, and there are even
various kinds of decorated deer. Birds are chirping, peacocks are crowing and
dancing, and bees are humming. The cuckoos there sing nicely in five kinds of tunes.
Kåñëa, the reservoir of pleasure, blowing His flute, accompanied by His elder brother
Balaräma and other cowherd boys and cows, entered the beautiful forest of
Våndävana to enjoy the atmosphere. They walked into the midst of newly grown
leaves of trees whose flowers resembled peacock feathers. They were garlanded by
those flowers and decorated with saffron chalk. Sometimes they were dancing and
singing and sometimes wrestling with one another. While Kåñëa danced, some of the
cowherd boys sang, and others played on flutes; some bugled on buffalo horns or
clapped their hands, praising Kåñëa, “Dear brother, You are dancing very nicely.”
Actually, all these boys were demigods descended from higher planets to assist Kåñëa
in His pastimes. The demigods garbed in the dress of the cowherd boys were
encouraging Kåñëa in His dancing, just as one artist encourages another with praise.
Up to that time, neither Balaräma nor Kåñëa had undergone the haircutting
ceremony; therefore Their hair was clustered like crows’ feathers. They were always
playing hide-and-seek with Their boy friends or jumping or fighting with one
another. Sometimes, while His friends were chanting and dancing, Kåñëa would
praise them, “My dear friends, you are dancing and singing very nicely.” The boys
played at catching ball with bell shaped fruits and round ämalaké. They played
blindman’s buff, challenging and touching one another. Sometimes they imitated the
forest deer and various kinds of birds. They joked with one another by imitating
croaking frogs, and they enjoyed swinging underneath the trees. Sometimes they
would play like a king and his subjects amongst themselves. In this way, Balaräma
and Kåñëa, along with all Their friends, played all kinds of sports and enjoyed the
soothing atmosphere of Våndävana, full of rivers, lakes, rivulets, fine trees and
excellent fruits and flowers.
Once while they were engaged in their transcendental pastimes, a great demon of
the name Pralambäsura entered their company, desiring to kidnap both Balaräma
and Kåñëa. Although Kåñëa was playing the part of a cowherd boy, as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead He could understand everything—past, present and future.
So when Pralambäsura entered their company, Kåñëa began to think how to kill the
demon, but externally He received him as a friend. “O My dear friend,” He said. “It is
very good that you have come to take part in our pastimes.” Kåñëa then called all His
friends and ordered them: “Now we shall play in pairs. We shall challenge one
another in pairs.” With this proposal, all the boys assembled together. Some of them
took the side of Kåñëa, and some of them took the side of Balaräma, and they
arranged to play in duel. The defeated members in duel fighting had to carry the
victorious members on their backs. They began playing, and at the same time tended
the cows as they proceeded through the Bhäëòéravana forest. The party of Balaräma,
accompanied by Çrédämä and Våñabha, came out victorious, and Kåñëa’s party had to
carry them on their backs through the Bhäëòéravana forest. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, being defeated, had to carry Çrédämä on His back,
and Bhadrasena carried Våñabha. Imitating their play, Pralambäsura, who appeared
there as a cowherd boy, carried Balaräma on his back. Pralambäsura was the greatest
of the demons, and he had calculated that Kåñëa was the most powerful of the
cowherd boys.
In order to avoid the company of Kåñëa, Pralambäsura carried Balaräma far away.
The demon was undoubtedly very strong and powerful, but he was carrying
Balaräma, who is compared with a mountain; therefore he began to feel the burden,
and thus he assumed his real form. When he appeared in his real feature, he was
decorated with a golden helmet and earrings and looked just like a cloud with
lightning carrying the moon. Balaräma observed the demon’s body expanding up to
the limits of the clouds, his eyes dazzling like blazing fire and his mouth flashing with
sharpened teeth. At first, Balaräma was surprised by the demon’s appearance, and He
began to wonder, “How is it that all of a sudden this carrier has changed in every
way?” But with a clear mind He could quickly understand that He was being carried
away from His friends by a demon who intended to kill Him. Immediately He struck
the head of the demon with His strong fist, just as the King of the heavenly planets
strikes a mountain with his thunderbolt. Being stricken by the fist of Balaräma, the
demon fell down dead, just like a snake with a smashed head, and blood poured from
his mouth. When the demon fell, he made a tremendous sound, and it sounded as if a
great hill were falling upon being struck by the thunderbolt of King Indra. All the
boys then rushed to the spot. Being astonished by the ghastly scene, they began to
praise Balaräma with the words, “Well done, well done.” All of them began to
embrace Balaräma with great affection, thinking that He had returned from death,
and they offered their blessings and congratulations. All the demigods in the
heavenly planets became very satisfied and showered flowers on the transcendental
body of Balaräma, and they also offered their blessings and congratulations for His
having killed the great demon Pralambäsura.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Eighteenth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Killing
the Demon Pralambäsura.”
19 / Devouring the Forest Fire
While Kåñëa and Balaräma and Their friends were engaged in the pastimes described
above, the cows, being unobserved, began to wander off on their own, entering
farther and farther into the deepest part of the forest, allured by fresh grasses. The
goats, cows and buffalo traveled from one forest to another and entered the forest
known as Iñikäöavi. This forest was full of green grass, and therefore they were
allured; but when they entered, they saw that there was a forest fire, and they began
to cry. On the other side, Balaräma and Kåñëa, along with Their friends, could not
find their animals, and they became very aggrieved. They began to trace the cows by
following their footprints, as well as the path of eaten grass. All of the boys were
fearing that their very means of livelihood, the cows, were now lost. Soon, however,
they heard the crying of their cows. Kåñëa began to call the cows by their respective
names, with great noise. Upon hearing Kåñëa calling, the cows immediately replied
with joy. But by this time the forest fire surrounded all of them, and the situation
appeared to be very fearful. The flames increased as the wind blew very quickly, and
it appeared that everything movable and immovable would be devoured. All the
cows and the boys became very frightened, and they looked towards Balaräma the
way a dying man looks at the picture of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They
said, “Dear Kåñëa and Balaräma, we are now burning from the heat of this blazing
fire. Let us take shelter of Your lotus feet. We know You can protect us from this
great danger. Our dear friend Kåñëa, we are Your intimate friends. It is not right that
we should suffer in this way. We are all completely dependent on You, and You are
the knower of all religious life. We do not know anyone except You.”
The Personality of Godhead heard the appealing voices of His friends, and casting a
pleasing glance over them, He began to answer. By speaking through His eyes, He
impressed His friends that there was no cause for fear. Then Kåñëa, the supreme
mystic, the powerful Personality of Godhead, immediately swallowed up all the
flames of the fire. The cows and boys were thus saved from imminent danger. Out of
fear, the boys were almost unconscious, but when they regained their consciousness
and opened their eyes, they saw that they were again in the forest with Kåñëa,
Balaräma and the cows. They were astonished to see that they were completely free
from the attack of the blazing fire and that the cows were saved. They secretly
thought that Kåñëa must not be an ordinary boy, but some demigod.
In the evening, Kåñëa and Balaräma, along with the boys and cows, returned to
Våndävana, playing Their flutes. As they approached the village, all the gopés
became very joyous. Throughout the day the gopés used to think of Kåñëa while He
was in the forest, and in His absence they were considering one moment to be like
twelve years.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Nineteenth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Devouring the Forest Fire.”
20 / Description of Autumn
The killing of Pralambäsura and the devouring of the devastating forest fire by
Kåñëa and Balaräma became household topics in Våndävana. The cowherd men
described these wonderful activities to their wives and to everyone else, and all were
struck with wonder. They concluded that Kåñëa and Balaräma were demigods who
had kindly come to Våndävana to become their children. In this way, the rainy
season ensued. In India, after the scorching heat of the summer, the rainy season is
very welcome. The clouds accumulating in the sky, covering the sun and the moon,
become very pleasing to the people, and they expect rainfall at every moment. After
summer, the advent of the rainy season is considered to be a life-giving source for
everyone. The thunder and occasional lightning are also pleasurable to the people.
The symptoms of the rainy season may be compared to the symptoms of the living
entities who are covered by the three modes of material nature. The unlimited sky is
like the Supreme Brahman, and the tiny living entities are like the covered sky, or
Brahman covered by the three modes of material nature. Originally, everyone is part
and parcel of Brahman. The Supreme Brahman, or the unlimited sky, can never be
covered by a cloud, but a portion of it can be covered. As stated in the Bhagavadgétä,
the living entities are part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
But they are only an insignificant portion of the Supreme Lord. This portion is
covered by the modes of material nature, and therefore the living entities are
residing within this material world. The brahmajyoti—spiritual effulgence—is just
like the sunshine; as the sunshine is full of molecular shining particles, so the
brahmajyoti is full of minute portions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Out
of that unlimited expansion of minute portions of the Supreme Lord, some are
covered by the influence of material nature, whereas others are free.
Clouds are accumulated water drawn from the land by the sunshine. Continually for
eight months the sun evaporates all kinds of water from the surface of the globe, and
this water is accumulated in the shape of clouds, which are distributed as water when
there is need. Similarly, a government exacts various taxes from the citizens which
the citizens are able to pay by their different material activities: agriculture, trade
and industry; thus the government can also exact taxes in the form of income tax
and sales tax. This is compared to the sun drawing water from the earth. When there
is again need of water on the surface of the globe, the same sunshine converts the
water into clouds and distributes it all over the globe. Similarly, the taxes collected
by the government must be distributed to the people again, as educational work,
public work, sanitary work, etc. This is very essential for a good government. The
government should not simply exact tax for useless squandering; the tax collection
should be utilized for the public welfare of the state.
During the rainy season, there are strong winds blustering all over the country and
carrying clouds from one place to another to distribute water. When water is
urgently needed after the summer season, the clouds are just like a rich man who, in
times of need, distributes his money even by exhausting his whole treasury. So the
clouds exhaust themselves by distributing water all over the surface of the globe.
When Mahäräja Daçaratha, the father of Lord Rämacandra, used to fight with his
enemies, it was said that he approached them just like a farmer uprooting
unnecessary plants and trees. And when there was need of giving charity, he used to
distribute money exactly as the cloud distributes rain. The distribution of rain by
clouds is so sumptuous that it is compared to the distribution of wealth by a great,
munificent person. The clouds’ downpour is so sufficient that the rains even fall on
rocks and hills and on the oceans and seas where there is no need for water. It is like
a charitable person who opens his treasury for distribution and who does not
discriminate whether the charity is needed or not. He gives in charity openhanded.
Before the rainfall, the whole surface of the globe becomes almost depleted of all
kinds of energies and appears very lean. After the rainfall, the whole surface of the
earth becomes green with vegetation and appears to be very healthy and strong.
Here, a comparison is made with the person undergoing austerities for fulfillment of
a material desire. The flourishing condition of the earth after a rainy season is
compared with the fulfillment of material desires. Sometimes, when a country is
subjugated by an undesirable government, persons and parties undergo severe
penances and austerities to get control of the government, and when they attain
control, they flourish by giving themselves generous salaries. This also is like the
flourishing of the earth in the rainy season. Actually, one should undergo severe
austerities and penances only to achieve spiritual happiness. In the Çrémad-
Bhägavatam it is recommended that tapasa or penance should be accepted for
realizing the Supreme Lord. By accepting austerity in devotional service, one regains
his spiritual life, and as soon as one regains his spiritual life, he enjoys unlimited
spiritual bliss. But if someone undertakes austerities and penances for some material
gain, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that the results are temporary and that they
are desired by persons of less intelligence.
During the rainy season, in the evening, there are many glowworms visible about the
tops of trees, hither and thither, and they glitter just like lights. But the luminaries
of the sky, the stars and the moons, are not visible. Similarly, in the age of Kali,
persons who are atheists or miscreants become very prominently visible, whereas
persons who are actually following the Vedic principles for spiritual emancipation
are practically obscured. This age, Kaliyuga, is compared to the cloudy season of the
living entities. In this age, real knowledge is covered by the influence of material
advancement of civilization. The cheap mental speculators, atheists and
manufacturers of so-called religious principles become prominent like the
glowworms, whereas persons strictly following the Vedic principles or scriptural
injunctions become covered by the clouds of this age. People should learn to take
advantage of the actual luminaries of the sky, the sun, moon, and stars, instead of
the glowworm’s light. Actually, the glowworm cannot give any light in the darkness
of night. As clouds sometimes clear, even in the rainy season, and sometimes the
moon, stars and sun become visible, so even in this Kaliyuga there are sometimes
advantages. The Vedic movement of Lord Caitanya’s—the distribution of chanting
the Hare Kåñëa mantra—is heard in this way. People seriously anxious to find real
life should take advantage of this movement instead of looking toward the light of
mental speculators and atheists.
After the first rainfall, when there is a thundering sound in the clouds, all the frogs
begin to croak, like students suddenly engaged in reading their studies. Students are
generally supposed to rise early in the morning. They do not usually arise of their
own accord, however, but only when there is a bell sounded in the temple or in the
cultural institution. By the order of the spiritual master they immediately rise, and
after finishing their morning duties, they sit down to study the Vedas or chant Vedic
mantras. Everyone is sleeping in the darkness of Kaliyuga, but when there is a great
äcärya, by his calling only, everyone takes to the study of the Vedas to acquire actual
knowledge. During the rainy season, many small ponds, lakes and rivulets become
filled with water; otherwise the rest of the year they remain dry. Similarly,
materialistic persons are dry, but sometimes, when they are in a so-called opulent
position, with a home or children or a little bank balance, they appear to be
flourishing, but immediately afterwards they become dry again, like the small rivulets
and ponds. The poet Vidyäpati said that in the society of friends, family, children,
wife, etc., there is certainly some pleasure, but that pleasure is compared to a drop of
water in the desert. Everyone is hankering after happiness, just as in the desert
everyone is hankering after water. If, in the desert, there is a drop of water, the
water is there of course, but the benefit from that drop of water is very insignificant.
In our materialistic way of life, we are hankering after an ocean of happiness, but in
the form of society, friends and mundane love, we are getting no more than a drop of
water. Our satisfaction is never achieved, as the small rivulets, lakes and ponds are
never filled with water in the dry season.
Due to rainfall, the grass, trees and vegetation look very green. Sometimes the grass
is covered by a certain kind of red insect, and when the green and red combine with
umbrella-like mushrooms, the entire scene changes, just like a person who has
suddenly become rich. The farmer then becomes very happy to see his field full of
grains, but the capitalists—who are always unaware of the activities of a
supernatural power—become unhappy because they are afraid of a competitive
price. In some places certain capitalists in government restrict the farmer from
producing too much grains, not knowing the actual fact that all food grains are
supplied by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. According to the Vedic
injunction, eko bahünäà yo vidadhäti kämän, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
maintains this creation; therefore, He arranges for a supply of whatever is required
for all living entities. When there is population increase, it is the business of the
Supreme Lord to feed them. But persons who are atheists or miscreants do not like
abundant production of food grains, especially if their business might be hampered.
During the rainy season, all living entities, in the land, sky and water, become very
refreshed, exactly like one who engages in the transcendental loving service of the
Lord. We have practical experience of this with our students in the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness. Before becoming students, they were dirty
looking, although they had naturally beautiful personal features; but due to having
no information of Kåñëa consciousness they appeared very dirty and wretched. Since
they have taken to Kåñëa consciousness, their health has improved, and by following
the rules and regulations, their bodily luster has increased. When they are dressed
with saffron colored cloth, with tilaka on their foreheads and beads in their hands
and on their necks, they look exactly as if they come directly from Vaikuëöha.
In the rainy season, when the rivers swell and rush to the oceans and seas, they
appear to agitate the ocean. Similarly, if a person who is engaged in the yoga-mystic
process is not very advanced in spiritual life, he can become agitated by the sex
impulse. High mountains, however, although splashed by torrents of rain, do not
change; so a person who is advanced in Kåñëa consciousness, even if put into
difficulties, is not embarrassed because a person who is spiritually advanced accepts
any adverse condition of life as the mercy of the Lord, and thus he is completely
eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom.
In the rainy season some of the roads are not frequently used, and they become
covered with long grasses. This is exactly like a brähmaëa who is not accustomed to
studying and practicing the reformatory methods of Vedic injunctions—he becomes
covered with the long grasses of mäyä. In that condition, forgetful of his
constitutional nature, he forgets his position of eternal servitorship to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. By being deviated by the seasonal overgrowth of long
grasses created by mäyä, a person identifies himself with mayic production and
succumbs to illusion, forgetting his spiritual life.
During the rainy season, lightning appears in one group of clouds and then
immediately in another group of clouds. This phenomenon is compared to a lusty
woman who does not fix her mind on one man. A cloud is compared to a qualified
person because it pours rain and gives sustenance to many people; a man who is
qualified similarly gives sustenance to many living creatures, such as family members
or many workers in business. Unfortunately, his whole life can be disturbed by a wife
who divorces him; when the husband is disturbed, the whole family is ruined, the
children are dispersed or the business is closed, and everything is effected. It is
therefore recommended that a woman desiring to advance in Kåñëa consciousness
peacefully live with a husband and that the couple not separate under any condition.
The husband and wife should control sex indulgence and concentrate their minds
on Kåñëa consciousness so their life may be successful. After all, in the material
world a man requires a woman, and a woman requires a man. When they are
combined, they should live peacefully in Kåñëa consciousness and should not be
restless like the lightning, flashing from one group of clouds to another.
Sometimes, in addition to the roaring thunder of the clouds, there is an appearance
of a rainbow, which stands as a bow without a string. Actually, a bow is in the curved
position, being tied at its two ends by the bowstring; but in the rainbow there is no
such string, and yet it rests in the sky so beautifully. Similarly, when the Supreme
Personality of Godhead descends to this material world, He appears just like an
ordinary human being, but He is not resting on any material condition. In the
Bhagavad-gétä, the Lord says that He appears by His internal potency, which is free
from the bondage of the external potency. What is bondage for the ordinary creature
is freedom for the Personality of Godhead. In the rainy season, the moonlight is
covered by clouds but is visible at intervals. It sometimes appears that the moon is
moving with the movement of the clouds, but actually the moon is still; due to the
clouds it also appears to move. Similarly, for one who has identified himself with the
moving material world, his actual spiritual luster is covered by illusion, and with the
movement of material activities, he thinks that he is moving through different
spheres of life. This is due to false ego, which is the demarcation between spiritual
and material existence, just as the moving cloud is the demarcation between
moonlight and darkness. In the rainy season, when the clouds appear for the first
time, after seeing their appearance, the peacocks begin to dance with joy. This can
be compared to persons who are very harassed in the materialistic way of life. If they
can find the association of a person engaged in the loving devotional service of the
Lord, they become enlightened, just like the peacocks when they dance. We have
practical experience of this, because many of our students were dry and morose
previous to their coming to Kåñëa consciousness, but having come into contact with
devotees, they are now dancing like jubilant peacocks.
Plants and creepers grow by drinking water from the ground. Similarly, a person
practicing austerities becomes dry; after the austere performances are completed and
he gets the result, he begins to enjoy life in sense gratification, with family, society,
love, home and other paraphernalia. Sometimes it is seen that cranes and ducks
meander continually on the banks of the lakes and rivers, although the banks are
filled with muddy garbage and thorny creepers. Similarly, persons who are
householders without Kåñëa consciousness are constantly tarrying in material life, in
spite of all kinds of inconveniences. In family life, or any life, one cannot be
perfectly happy without being Kåñëa conscious. Çréla Narottama däsa Öhäkur prays
that he will have the association of a person—either a householder or a man in the
renounced order of life—who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the
Lord and is always crying the holy name of Lord Caitanya. For the materialistic
person, worldly affairs become too aggressive, whereas to a person who is in Kåñëa
consciousness, everything appears to be happily situated.
The barriers around the agricultural field sometimes break due to heavy torrents of
rain. Similarly, the unauthorized atheistic propaganda in the age of Kali breaks the
boundary of the Vedic injunctions. Thus people gradually degenerate to godlessness.
In the rainy season, the clouds, tossed by the wind, deliver water which is welcomed
like nectar. When the Vedic followers, the brähmaëas, inspire rich men like kings
and the wealthy mercantile community to give charity in the performance of great
sacrifices, the distribution of such wealth is also nectarean. The four sections of
human society, namely the brähmaëas, the kñatriyas, the vaiçyas and the çüdras, are
meant to live peacefully in a cooperative mood; this is possible when they are guided
by the expert Vedic brähmaëas who perform sacrifices and distribute wealth equally.
Våndävana forest improved from the rains and was replete with ripened dates,
mangoes, blackberries and other fruits. Lord Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and His boy friends and Lord Balaräma, entered the forest to enjoy the
new seasonal atmosphere. The cows, being fed by new grasses, became very healthy,
and their milk bags were all very full. When Lord Kåñëa called them by name, they
immediately came to Him out of affection, and in their joyful condition the milk
flowed from their bags. Lord Kåñëa was very pleased when passing through the
Våndävana forest by the side of Govardhana Hill. On the bank of the Yamunä He
saw all the trees decorated with bee hives pouring honey. There were many
waterfalls on Govardhana Hill, and their flowing made a nice sound. Kåñëa heard
them as He looked into the caves of the hill. When the rainy season was not ended
completely but was gradually turning to autumn, sometimes, especially when there
was rainfall within the forest, Kåñëa and His companions would sit under a tree or
within the caves of Govardhana Hill and enjoy eating the ripened fruits and talking
with great pleasure. When Kåñëa and Balaräma were in the forest all day, mother
Yaçodä used to send Them some rice mixed with yogurt, fruits and sweetmeat. Kåñëa
would take them and sit on a slab of stone on the bank of the Yamunä. While Kåñëa
and Balaräma and Their friends were eating, they watched the cows, calves and
bulls. The cows appeared to be tired from standing with their heavy milk bags. By
sitting and chewing grass, they became happy, and Kåñëa was pleased to see them.
He was proud to see the beauty of the forest, which was nothing but the
manifestation of His own energy.
At such times Kåñëa would praise nature’s special activities during the rainy season.
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that the material energy, or nature, is not
independent in its actions. Nature is acting under the superintendence of Kåñëa. It
is also stated in the Brahma-saàhitä that material nature, known as Durgä, is acting
as the shadow of Kåñëa. Whatever order is sent from Kåñëa, material nature obeys.
Therefore the natural beauty created by the rainy season was acted out according to
the indications of Kåñëa. Soon all the water reservoirs became very clean and
pleasing, and refreshing air was blowing everywhere because of the appearance of
autumn. The sky was completely cleared of all clouds, and it recovered its natural
blue color. The blooming lotus flower in the clear water in the forest appeared like a
person who has fallen down from yoga practice but again has become beautiful by
resuming his spiritual life.
Everything becomes naturally beautiful with the appearance of the autumn season.
Similarly, when a materialistic person takes to Kåñëa consciousness and spiritual life,
he also becomes as clear as the sky and water in autumn. The autumn season takes
away the rolling of dark clouds in the sky as well as the polluted water. Filthy
conditions on the ground also become cleansed. Similarly, a person who takes to
Kåñëa consciousness immediately becomes cleansed of all dirty things within and
without. Kåñëa is therefore known as Hari. “Hari” means “he who takes away.” Kåñëa
immediately takes away all unclean habits from anyone who takes to Kåñëa
consciousness. The clouds of autumn are white, for they do not carry any water.
Similarly, a retired man, being freed from all responsibility of family affairs (namely,
maintaining the home, wife and children) and taking completely to Kåñëa
consciousness, becomes freed from all anxieties and looks as white as clouds in
autumn. Sometimes in autumn the falls come down from the top of the hill to supply
clean water, and sometimes they stop. Similarly, sometimes great saintly persons
distribute clear knowledge, and sometimes they are silent. The small ponds which
were filled with water because of the rainy season, gradually dry up in autumn. As
for the tiny aquatics living in the reservoirs, they cannot understand that their
numbers are diminishing day by day, as the materially engrossed persons cannot
understand that their duration of life is being reduced day by day. Such persons are
engaged in maintaining cows, property, children, wife, society and friendship. Due to
the reduced water and scorching heat from the sun in the autumn season, the small
creatures living in small reservoirs of water are much disturbed; they are exactly like
uncontrolled persons who are always unhappy from being unable to enjoy life or
maintain their family members. The muddy earth gradually dries up, and newly
grown fresh vegetables begin to wither. Similarly, for one who has taken to Kåñëa
consciousness, desire for family enjoyment gradually dries up.
Because of the appearance of the autumn season, the water of the ocean becomes
calm and quiet, just as a person developed in self-realization is no longer disturbed by
the three modes of material nature. In autumn, farmers save the water within the
fields by building strong walls so that the water contained within the field cannot
run out. There is hardly any hope for new rainfalls; therefore they want to save
whatever is in the field. Similarly, a person who is actually advanced in selfrealization
protects his energy by controlling the senses. It is advised that after the
age of fifty, one should retire from family life and should conserve the energy of the
body for utilization in the advancement of Kåñëa consciousness. Unless one is able to
control the senses and engage them in the transcendental loving service of
Mukunda, there is no possibility of salvation.
During the daytime in autumn, the sun is very scorching, but at night, due to the
clear moonshine, people get relief from the day’s fatigue. If a person takes shelter of
Mukunda, or Kåñëa, he can be saved from the fatigue of misidentifying the body
with the self. Mukunda, or Kåñëa, is also the source of solace to the damsels of
Våndävana. The damsels of Vrajabhümi are always suffering because of separation
from Kåñëa. When they meet Kåñëa during the moonlit autumn night, their fatigue
of separation is also satiated. When the sky is clear of all clouds, the stars at night
shine very beautifully; similarly, when a person is actually situated in Kåñëa
consciousness, he is cleared of all dirty things, and he becomes as beautiful as the
stars in the autumn sky. Although the Vedas prescribe karma in the form of offering
sacrifices, their ultimate purpose is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä: one has to accept
Kåñëa consciousness after thoroughly understanding the purpose of the Vedas.
Therefore the clean heart exhibited by a devotee in Kåñëa consciousness can be
compared to the clean sky of the autumn season. During autumn, the moon looks
very bright along with the stars in the clear sky. Lord Kåñëa Himself appeared in the
sky of the Yadu dynasty, and He was exactly like the moon surrounded by the stars,
or the members of the Yadu dynasty. When there are ample blooming flowers in the
gardens in the forest, the fresh, aromatic breeze gives a great relief to the person who
has suffered during the summer and rainy seasons. Unfortunately, such breezes could
not give any relief to the gopés because of their hearts’ dedication to Kåñëa. People in
general might have taken pleasure in that nice autumn breeze, but the gopés, not
being embraced by Kåñëa, were not very satisfied.
On arrival of the autumn season, all the cows, deer, birds and females in general
become pregnant, because in that season generally all the husbands become impelled
by sex desire. This is exactly like the transcendentalists who, by the grace of the
Supreme Lord, are bestowed with the benediction of their destinations in life. Çréla
Rüpa Gosvämé has instructed in his Upadeçamåtä that one should follow devotional
service with great enthusiasm, patience and conviction and should follow the rules
and regulations, keep oneself clean from material contamination and stay in the
association of devotees. By following these principles, one is sure to achieve the
desired result of devotional service. For he who patiently follows the regulative
principles of devotional service, the time will come when he will achieve the result,
as the wives who reap results by becoming pregnant.
During the autumn, the lotus flowers in the lakes grow in large numbers because of
the absence of lilies; both the lilies and the lotus flowers grow by sunshine, but
during the autumn season, the scorching sunshine helps only the lotus. This example
is given in the case of a country where the king or the government is strong; the rise
of unwanted elements like thieves and robbers cannot prosper. When the citizens
become confident that they will not be attacked by robbers, they develop very
satisfactorily. A strong government is compared to the scorching sunshine in the
autumn season; the lilies are compared to unwanted persons like robbers, and the
lotus flowers are compared to the satisfied citizens of the government. During
autumn, the fields become filled with ripened grains. At that time, the people
become happy over the harvest and observe various ceremonies, such as Navänna—
the offering of new grains to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The new grains
are first offered to the Deities in various temples, and all are invited to take sweet
rice made of these new grains. There are other religious ceremonies and methods of
worship, particularly in Bengal, where the greatest of all such ceremonies is held,
called Durgä Püjä.
In Våndävana the autumn season was very beautiful then because of the presence of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa and Balaräma. The mercantile
community, the royal order and great sages were free to move to achieve their
desired benedictions. Similarly, the transcendentalists, when freed from the
encagement of the material body, also achieve their desired goal. During the rainy
season, the mercantile community cannot move from one place to another and so do
not get their desired profit. Nor can the royal order go from one place to another to
collect taxes from the people. As for saintly persons who must travel to preach
transcendental knowledge, they also are restrained by the rainy season. But during
the autumn, all of them leave their confines. In the case of the transcendentalist, be
he a jïäné, a yogé, or a devotee, because of the material body he cannot actually
enjoy spiritual achievement. But as soon as he gives up the body, or after death, the
jïäné merges into the spiritual effulgence of the Supreme Lord; the yogé transfers
himself to the various higher planets, and the devotee goes to the planet of the
Supreme Lord, Goloka Våndävana, or the Vaikuëöhas, and thus enjoys his eternal
spiritual life.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twentieth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Description of Autumn.”
21 / The Gopés Attracted by the Flute
Kåñëa was very pleased with the atmosphere of the forest where flowers bloomed and
bees and drones hummed very jubilantly. While the birds, trees and branches were
all looking very happy, Kåñëa, tending the cows, accompanied by Çré Balaräma and
the cowherd boys, began to vibrate His transcendental flute. After hearing the
vibration of the flute of Kåñëa, the gopés in Våndävana remembered Him and began
to talk amongst themselves about how nicely Kåñëa was playing His flute. When the
gopés were describing the sweet vibration of Kåñëa’s flute, they also remembered
their pastimes with Him; thus their minds became disturbed, and they were unable
to describe completely the beautiful vibrations. While discussing the transcendental
vibration, they remembered also how Kåñëa dressed, decorated with a peacock
feather on His head, just like a dancing actor, and with blue flowers pushed over His
ear. His garment glowed yellow-gold, and He was garlanded with a vaijayanté
necklace. Dressed in such an attractive way, Kåñëa filled up the holes of His flute
with the nectar emanating from His lips. So they remembered Him, entering the
forest of Våndävana, which is always glorified by the footprints of Kåñëa and His
companions.
Kåñëa was very expert in playing the flute, and the gopés were captivated by the
sound vibration, which was not only attractive to them, but to all living creatures
who heard it. One of the gopés told her friends, “The highest perfection of the eyes is
to see Kåñëa and Balaräma entering the forest and playing Their flutes and tending
the cows with Their friends.”
Persons who are constantly engaged in the transcendental meditation of seeing
Kåñëa, internally and externally, by thinking of Him playing the flute and entering
the Våndävana forest, have really attained the perfection of samädhi. Samädhi
(trance) means absorption of all the activities of the senses on a particular object,
and the gopés indicate that the pastimes of Kåñëa are the perfection of all meditation
and samädhi. It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä that anyone who is always
absorbed in the thought of Kåñëa is the topmost of all yogés.
Another gopé expressed her opinion that Kåñëa and Balaräma, while tending the
cows, appeared just like actors going to play on a dramatic stage. Kåñëa was dressed
in glowing garments of yellow, Balaräma in blue, and They held new twigs of mango
tree, peacock feathers, and bunches of flowers in Their hands. Dressed with garlands
of lotus flowers, They were sometimes singing very sweetly among Their friends.
One gopé told her friend, “How is it Kåñëa and Balaräma are looking so beautiful?”
Another gopé said, “My dear friend, we cannot even think of His bamboo flute—
what sort of pious activities did it execute so that it is now enjoying the nectar of the
lips of Kåñëa?” Kåñëa sometimes kisses the gopés; therefore the transcendental nectar
of His lips is available only to them, and His lips are considered their property.
Therefore the gopés asked: “How is it possible that the flute, which is nothing but a
bamboo rod, is always engaged in enjoying the nectar from Kåñëa’s lips? Because the
flute is engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord, the mother and the father of the
flute must be happy.”
The lakes and the rivers are considered to be the mothers of the trees because the
trees live simply by drinking water. So the waters of the lakes and rivers of
Våndävana were full of happy lotus flowers because the waters were thinking, “How
is it our son, the bamboo rod, is enjoying the nectar of Kåñëa’s lips?” The bamboo
trees standing by the banks of the rivers and the lakes were also happy to see their
descendant so engaged in the service of the Lord, just as persons who are advanced
in knowledge take pleasure to see their descendants engage in the service of the
Lord. The trees were overwhelmed with joy and were incessantly yielding honey,
which flowed from the beehives hanging on the branches.
Sometimes the gopés spoke thus to their friends about Kåñëa: “Dear friends, our
Våndävana is proclaiming the glories of this entire earth because this planet is
glorified by the lotus footprints of the son of Devaké. Besides that, when Govinda
plays His flute, the peacocks immediately become mad. When all the animals and
trees and plants, either on the top of Govardhana Hill or in the valley, see the
dancing of the peacock, they all stand still and listen to the transcendental sound of
the flute with great attention. We think that this boon is not possible or available on
any other planet.” Although the gopés were village cowherd women and girls, they
had knowledge of Kåñëa. Similarly, one can learn the highest truths simply by
hearing the Vedas from authoritative sources.
Another gopé said, “My dear friends, just see the deer! Although they are dumb
animals, they have approached the son of Mahäräja Nanda, Kåñëa. Not only are they
attracted by the dress of Kåñëa and Balaräma, but as soon as they hear the playing of
the flute, the deer, along with their husbands, offer respectful obeisances unto the
Lord by looking at Him with great affection.” The gopés were envious of the deer
because the deer were able to offer their service to Kåñëa along with their husbands.
The gopés thought themselves not so fortunate because whenever they wanted to go
to Kåñëa, their husbands were not very happy.
Another gopé said, “My dear friends, Kåñëa is so nicely dressed that He appears to be
the impetus to various kinds of ceremonies held by the womenfolk. Even the wives
of the denizens of heaven become attracted after hearing the transcendental sound
of His flute. Although they are traveling in the air in their airplanes, enjoying the
company of their husbands, on hearing the sound of Kåñëa’s flute, they immediately
become perturbed. Their hair is loosened and their tight dresses are slackened.” This
means that the transcendental sound of the flute of Kåñëa extended to all corners of
the universe. Also, it is significant that the gopés knew about the different kinds of
airplanes flying in the sky.
Another gopé said to her friends, “My dear friends, the cows are also charmed as soon
as they hear the transcendental sound of the flute of Kåñëa. It sounds to them like
the pouring of nectar, and they immediately spread their long ears just to catch the
liquid nectar of the flute. As for the calves, they are seen with the nipples of their
mothers pressed in their mouths, but they cannot suck the milk. They remain struck
with devotion, and tears glide down their eyes, illustrating vividly how they are
embracing Kåñëa heart to heart.” These phenomena indicate that even the cows and
calves in Våndävana knew how to cry for Kåñëa and embrace Him heart to heart.
Actually, Kåñëa conscious affection can be culminated in shedding tears from the
eyes.
A younger gopé told her mother, “My dear mother, the birds, who are all looking at
Kåñëa playing on His flute, are sitting very attentively on the branches and twigs of
different trees. From their features it appears that they have forgotten everything
and are engaged only in hearing Kåñëa’s flute. This proves that they are not ordinary
birds; they are great sages and devotees, and just to hear Kåñëa’s flute they have
appeared in Våndävana forest as birds.” Great sages and scholars are interested in
Vedic knowledge, but the essence of Vedic knowledge is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä:
vedaiç ca sarvair aham eva vedyaù. Through the knowledge of the Vedas, Kåñëa has
to be understood. From the behavior of these birds, it appeared that they were great
scholars in Vedic knowledge and that they took to Kåñëa’s transcendental vibration
and rejected all branches of Vedic knowledge. Even the river Yamunä, being
desirous to embrace the lotus feet of Kåñëa after hearing the transcendental
vibration of His flute, broke her fierce waves to flow very nicely with lotus flowers in
her hands, just to present flowers to Mukunda with deep feeling.
The scorching heat of the autumn sunshine was sometimes intolerable, and
therefore the clouds in the sky appeared in sympathy above Kåñëa and Balaräma and
Their boy friends while They engaged in blowing Their flutes. The clouds served as a
soothing umbrella over Their heads just to make friendship with Kåñëa. The wanton
aborigine girls also became fully satisfied when they smeared their faces and breasts
with the dust of Våndävana, which was reddish from the touch of Kåñëa’s lotus feet.
The aborigine girls had very full breasts, and they were also very lusty, but when
their lovers felt their breasts, they were not very satisfied. When they came out into
the midst of the forest, they saw that while Kåñëa was walking, some of the leaves
and creepers of Våndävana turned reddish from the kuìkuma powder which fell
from His lotus feet. His lotus feet were held by the gopés on their breasts, which were
also smeared with kuìkuma powder, but when Kåñëa travelled in the Våndävana
forest with Balaräma and His boy friends, the reddish powder fell on the ground of
the Våndävana forest. So the lusty aborigine girls, while looking toward Kåñëa
playing His flute, saw the reddish kuìkuma on the ground and immediately took it
and smeared it over their faces and breasts. In this way they became fully satisfied,
although they were not satisfied when their lovers touched their breasts. All
material lusty desires can be immediately satisfied if one comes in contact with
Kåñëa consciousness.
Another gopé began to praise the unique position of Govardhana Hill in this way:
“How fortunate is this Govardhana Hill, for it is enjoying the association of Lord
Kåñëa and Balaräma who are accustomed to walk on it. Thus Govardhana is always
in touch with the lotus feet of the Lord. And because Govardhana Hill is so obliged
to Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma, it is supplying different kinds of fruits, roots and herbs,
as well as very pleasing crystal water from its lakes, in presentation to the Lord.” The
best presentation offered by Govardhana Hill, however, was newly grown grass for
the cows and calves. Govardhana Hill knew how to please the Lord by pleasing His
most beloved associates, the cows and the cowherd boys.”
Another gopé said that everything appeared wonderful when Kåñëa and Balaräma
travelled in the forest of Våndävana playing Their flutes and making intimate
friendship with all kinds of moving and nonmoving living creatures. When Kåñëa
and Balaräma played on Their transcendental flutes, the moving creatures become
stunned and stopped their activities, and the nonmoving living creatures, like trees
and plants, begin to shiver with ecstasy.
Kåñëa and Balaräma carried binding ropes on Their shoulders and in Their hands,
just like ordinary cowherd boys. While milking the cows, the boys bound the hind
legs with a small rope. This rope almost always hung from the shoulders of the boys,
and it was not absent on the shoulders of Kåñëa and Balaräma. In spite of Their
being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, They played exactly like cowherd boys,
and therefore everything became wonderful and attractive.
While Kåñëa was engaged in tending the cows in the forest of Våndävana or on
Govardhana Hill, the gopés in the village were always absorbed in thinking of Him
and discussing His different pastimes. This is the perfect example of Kåñëa
consciousness: to somehow or other remain always engrossed in thoughts of Kåñëa.
The vivid example is always present in the behavior of the gopés; therefore Lord
Caitanya declared that no one can worship the Supreme Lord by any method which
is better than the method of the gopés. The gopés were not born in very high
brähmaëa or kñatriya families; they were born in the families of vaiçyas, and not in
big mercantile communities but in the families of cowherd men. They were not very
well educated, although they heard all sorts of knowledge from the brähmaëas, the
authorities of Vedic knowledge. The gopés’ only purpose was to remain always
absorbed in thoughts of Kåñëa.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-first Chapter of Kåñëa, “The
Gopés Attracted by the Flute.”
22 / Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried
Gopé Girls
According to Vedic civilization, unmarried girls from ten to fourteen years of age are
supposed to worship either Lord Çiva or the goddess Durgä in order to get a nice
husband. But the unmarried girls of Våndävana were already attracted by the beauty
of Kåñëa. They were, however, engaged in the worship of the goddess Durgä in the
beginning of the hemanta season (just prior to the winter season). The first month
of hemanta is called Agrahäyana (October-November), and at that time all the
unmarried gopés of Våndävana began to worship goddess Durgä with a vow. They
first ate haviñyänna, a kind of foodstuff prepared by boiling together mung dahl and
rice without any spices or turmeric. According to Vedic injunction, this kind of
foodstuff is recommended to purify the body before one enacts a ritualistic
ceremony. All the unmarried gopés in Våndävana used to daily worship goddess
Kätyäyané early in the morning after taking bath in the River Yamunä. Kätyäyané is
another name for goddess Durgä. The goddess is worshiped by preparing a doll made
out of sand mixed with earth from the bank of the Yamunä. It is recommended in
the Vedic scriptures that a deity may be made from different kinds of material
elements; it can be painted, made of metal, made of jewels, made of wood, earth or
stone or can be conceived within the heart of the worshiper. The Mäyävädé
philosopher takes all these forms of the deity to be imaginary, but actually they are
accepted in the Vedic literatures to be identical with either the Supreme Lord or a
respective demigod.
The unmarried gopés used to prepare the deity of goddess Durgä and worship it with
candana pulp, garlands, incense lamps and all kinds of presentations—fruits, grains
and twigs of plants. After worshiping, it is the custom to pray for some benediction.
The unmarried girls used to pray with great devotion to goddess Kätyäyané,
addressing her as follows: “O supreme eternal energy of the Personality of Godhead,
O supreme mystic power, O supreme controller of this material world, O goddess,
please be kind to us and arrange for our marriage with the son of Nanda Mahäräja,
Kåñëa.” The Vaiñëavas generally do not worship any demigods. Çréla Narottama däsa
Öhäkur has strictly forbidden all worship of the demigods for anyone who wants to
advance in pure devotional service. Yet the gopés, who are beyond compare in their
affection for Kåñëa, were seen to worship Durgä. The worshipers of demigods also
sometimes mention that the gopés also worshiped goddess Durgä, but we must
understand the purpose of the gopés. Generally, people worship goddess Durgä for
some material benediction. Here, the gopés prayed to the goddess to become wives of
Lord Kåñëa. The purport is that if Kåñëa is the center of activity, a devotee can
adopt any means to achieve that goal. The gopés could adopt any means to satisfy or
serve Kåñëa. That was the superexcellent characteristic of the gopés. They worshiped
goddess Durgä completely for one month in order to have Kåñëa as their husband.
Every day they prayed for Kåñëa, the son of Nanda Mahäräja, to become their
husband.
Early in the morning, the gopés used to go to the bank of the Yamunä to take bath.
They would assemble together, capturing each other’s hands, and loudly sing of the
wonderful pastimes of Kåñëa. It is an old system among Indian girls and women that
when they take bath in the river they place their garments on the bank and dip into
the water completely naked. The portion of the river where the girls and women
take bath was strictly prohibited to any male member, and this is still the system.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, knowing the minds of the unmarried young
gopés, benedicted them with their desired objective. They had prayed for Kåñëa to
become their husband, and Kåñëa wanted to fulfill their desires.
At the end of the month, Kåñëa, along with His friends, appeared on the scene.
Another name of Kåñëa is Yogeçvara, or master of all mystic powers. By practicing
meditation, the yogi can study the psychic movement of other men, and certainly
Kåñëa could understand the desire of the gopés. Appearing on the scene, Kåñëa
immediately collected all the garments of the gopés, climbed up in a nearby tree, and
with smiling face began to speak to them.
“My dear girls,” He said. “Please come here one after another and pray for your
garments and then take them away. I’m not joking with you. I’m just telling the
truth. I have no desire to play any joke with you, for you have observed the
regulative principles for one month by worshiping goddess Kätyäyané. Please do not
come here all at once. Come alone; I want to see each of you in your complete
beauty, for you all have thin waists. I have requested you to come alone. Now please
comply.”
When the girls in the water heard such joking words from Kåñëa, they began to look
at one another and smile. They were very joyous to hear such a request from Kåñëa
because they were already in love with Him. Out of shyness, they looked at one
another, but they could not come out of the water because they were naked. Due to
remaining in the water for a long time, they felt cold and were shivering, yet upon
hearing the pleasing and joking words of Govinda, their minds were perturbed with
great joy. They began to tell Kåñëa, “Dear son of Nanda Mahäräja, please do not joke
with us in that way. It is completely unjust to us. You are a very respectable boy
because You are the son of Nanda Mahäräja, and You are very dear to us, but You
should not play this joke on us because now we are all shivering from the cold water.
Kindly deliver our garments immediately, otherwise we shall suffer.” They then
began to appeal to Kåñëa with great submission. “Dear Çyämasundara,” they said, “we
are all Your eternal servitors. Whatever You order us to do, we are obliged to
perform without hesitation because we consider it our religious duty. But if You
insist on putting this proposal to us, which is impossible to perform, then certainly
we will have to go to Nanda Mahäräja and lodge a complaint against You. If Nanda
Mahäräja does not take action, then we shall tell King Kaàsa about Your
misbehavior.”
Upon hearing this appeal by the unmarried gopés, Kåñëa answered, “My dear girls, if
you think that you are My eternal servitors and you are always ready to execute My
order, then My request is that, with your smiling faces, you please come here alone,
one after another, and take away your garments. If you do not come here, however,
and if you lodge complaints to My father, I shall not care anyway, for I know My
father is old and cannot take any action against Me.”
When the gopés saw that Kåñëa was strong and determined, they had no alternative
but to abide by His order. One after another they came out of the water, but because
they were completely naked, they tried to cover their nakedness by placing their left
hand over their pubic area. In that posture they were all shivering. Their simple
presentation was so pure that Lord Kåñëa immediately became pleased with them.
All the unmarried gopés who prayed to Kätyäyané to have Kåñëa as their husband
were thus satisfied. A woman cannot be naked before any male except her husband.
The unmarried gopés desired Kåñëa as their husband, and He fulfilled their desire in
this way. Being pleased with them, He took their garments on His shoulder and
began to speak as follows. “My dear girls, you have committed a great offense by
going naked in the River Yamunä. Because of this, the predominating deity of the
Yamunä, Varuëadeva, has become displeased with you. Please, therefore, just touch
your foreheads with folded palms and bow down before the demigod Varuëa in order
to be excused from this offensive act.” The gopés were all simple souls, and whatever
Kåñëa said they took to be true. In order to be freed from the wrath of Varuëadeva,
as well as to fulfill the desired end of their vows and ultimately to please their
worshipable Lord, Kåñëa, they immediately abided by His order. Thus they became
the greatest lovers of Kåñëa, and His most obedient servitors.
Nothing can compare to the Kåñëa consciousness of the gopés. Actually, the gopés did
not care for Varuëa or any other demigod; they only wanted to satisfy Kåñëa. Kåñëa
became very ingratiated and satisfied by the simple dealings of the gopés, and He
immediately delivered their respective garments, one after another. Although Kåñëa
cheated the young unmarried gopés and made them stand naked before Him and
enjoyed joking words with them, and although He treated them just like dolls and
stole their garments, they were still pleased with Him and never lodged complaints
against Him. This attitude of the gopés is described by Lord Caitanya Mahäprabhu
when He prays, “My dear Lord Kåñëa, You may embrace Me or trample Me under
Your feet, or You may make Me brokenhearted by never being present before Me.
Whatever You like, You can do, because You have complete freedom to act. But in
spite of all Your dealings, You are My Lord eternally, and I have no other
worshipable object.” This is the attitude of the gopés toward Kåñëa.
Lord Kåñëa was pleased with them, and since they all desired to have Him as their
husband, He told them, “My dear well-behaved girls, I know of your desire for Me
and why you worshiped goddess Kätyäyané, and I completely approve of your action.
Anyone whose full consciousness is always absorbed in Me, even if in lust, is
elevated. As a fried seed cannot fructify, so any desire in connection with My loving
service cannot produce any fruitive result, as in ordinary karma.”
There is a statement in the Brahma-saàhitä: karmäëi nirdahati kintu ca bhaktibhäjäm.
Everyone is bound by his fruitive activities, but the devotees, because they
work completely for the satisfaction of the Lord, suffer no reactions. Similarly, the
gopés’ attitude toward Kåñëa, although seemingly lusty, should not be considered to
be like the lusty desires of ordinary women. The reason is explained by Kåñëa
Himself. Activities in devotional service to Kåñëa are transcendental to any fruitive
result.
“My dear gopés,” Kåñëa continued, “your desire to have Me as your husband will be
fulfilled because with this desire you have worshiped goddess Kätyäyané. I promise
you that during the next autumn season you shall be able to meet with Me, and you
shall enjoy Me as your husband.”
Taking shelter of the shade of the trees, Kåñëa became very happy. While walking
He began to address the inhabitants of Våndävana. “My dear Stokakåñëa, My dear
Varüthapa, My dear Bhadrasena, My dear Sudämä, My dear Subala, My dear Arjuna,
My dear Viçäla, My dear Åñabha—just look at these most fortunate trees of
Våndävana. They have dedicated their lives to the welfare of others. Individually
they are tolerating all kinds of natural disturbances, such as hurricanes, torrents of
rain, scorching heat and piercing cold, but they are very careful to relieve our
fatigues and give us shelter. My dear friends, I think they are glorified in this birth as
trees. They are so careful to give shelter to others that they are like noble, highly
elevated charitable men who never deny charity to one who approaches them. No
one is denied shelter by these trees. They supply various kinds of facilities to human
society, such as leaves, flowers, fruit, shade, roots, bark, flavor extracts and fuel. They
are the perfect example of noble life. They are like a noble person who has sacrificed
everything possible—his body, mind, activities, intelligence and words—in engaging
in the welfare of all living entities.”
Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead walked on the bank of the Yamunä,
touching the leaves of the trees and their fruits, flowers and twigs, and praising their
glorious welfare activities. Different people may accept certain welfare activities to
be beneficial for human society, according to their own views, but the welfare
activity that can be rendered to people in general, for eternal benefit, is the
spreading of the Kåñëa consciousness movement. Everyone should be prepared to
propagate this movement. As instructed by Lord Caitanya, one should be humbler
than the grass on the ground and more tolerant than the tree. The tolerance of the
trees is explained by Lord Kåñëa Himself, and those who are engaged in the
preaching of Kåñëa consciousness should learn lessons from the teachings of Lord
Kåñëa and Lord Caitanya through Their direct disciplic succession.
While passing through the forest of Våndävana on the bank of the Yamunä, Kåñëa
sat down at a beautiful spot and allowed the cows to drink the cold and transparent
water of the Yamunä. Being fatigued, the cowherd boys, Kåñëa and Balaräma also
drank. After seeing the young gopés taking bath in the Yamunä, Kåñëa passed the
rest of the morning with the boys.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-second Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Stealing the Garments of the Unmarried Gopé Girls.”
23 / Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who
Performed Sacrifices
The morning passed, and the cowherd boys were very hungry because they had not
eaten breakfast. They immediately approached Kåñëa and Balaräma and said, “Dear
Kåñëa and Balaräma, You are both all-powerful; You can kill many, many demons,
but today we are much afflicted with hunger, and this is disturbing us. Please arrange
for something that will mitigate our hunger.”
Requested in this way by Their friends, Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma immediately
showed compassion on certain wives of brähmaëas who were performing sacrifices.
These wives were great devotees of the Lord, and Kåñëa took this opportunity to
bless them. He said, “My dear friends, please go to the house of the brähmaëas
nearby. They are now engaged in performing Vedic sacrifices known as äìgirasa, for
they desire elevation to heavenly planets. All of you please go to them.” Then Lord
Kåñëa warned His friends, “These brähmaëas are not Vaiñëavas. They cannot even
chant Our names, Kåñëa and Balaräma. They are very busy in chanting the Vedic
hymns, although the purpose of Vedic knowledge is to find Me. But because they are
not attracted by the names of Kåñëa and Balaräma, you had better not ask them for
anything in My name. Better ask for some charity in the name of Balaräma.”
Charity is generally given to high class brähmaëas, but Kåñëa and Balaräma did not
appear in a brähmaëa family. Balaräma was known as the son of Vasudeva, a
kñatriya, and Kåñëa was known in Våndävana as the son of Nanda Mahäräja, who
was a vaiçya. Neither belonged to the brähmaëa community. Therefore, Kåñëa
considered that the brähmaëas engaged in performing sacrifices might not be
induced to give charity to a kñatriya and vaiçya. “But at least if you utter the name of
Balaräma, they may prefer to give in charity to a kñatriya, rather than to Me, because
I am only a vaiçya.”
Being thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the boys went to the
brähmaëas and began to ask for some charity. They approached them with folded
hands and fell down on the ground to offer respect. “O earthly gods, kindly hear us
who are ordered by Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma. We hope you know Them both very
well, and we wish you all good fortune. Kåñëa and Balaräma are tending cows nearby,
and we have accompanied Them. We have come to ask for some food from you. You
are all brähmaëas and knowers of religious principles, and if you think that you
should give us charity, then give us some food and we shall all eat along with Kåñëa
and Balaräma. You are the most respectable brähmaëas within the human society,
and you are expected to know all the principles of religious procedure.”
Although the boys were village boys and were not expected to be learned in all the
Vedic principles of religious ritual, they hinted that because of their association with
Kåñëa and Balaräma, they knew all those principles. When the Supreme Personality
of Godhead Kåñëa and Balaräma, asked for food, the boys would immediately deliver
it without hesitation because it is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that one should
perform yajïa (sacrifices) only for the satisfaction of Viñëu.
The boys continued, “Lord Viñëu as Kåñëa and Balaräma is standing waiting, and you
should immediately deliver whatever food you have in your stock.” They also
explained to the brähmaëas how foodstuffs are to be accepted. Generally, the
Vaiñëavas, or pure devotees of the Lord, do not take part in ordinary sacrificial
performances. But they know very well the ceremonials called dékñä, paçusamtha
sauträmnya. One is permitted to take food after the procedure of dékñä and before
the animal sacrificial ceremony and the Sauträmaëé, or ceremony in which liquors
are also offered. The boys said, “We can take your food at the present stage of your
ceremony, for now it will not be prohibitory. So you can deliver us the foodstuff.”
Although the companions of Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma were simple cowherd boys,
they were in a position to dictate even to the high class brähmaëas engaged in the
Vedic rituals of sacrifices. But the smärta brähmaëas, who were simply sacrificialminded,
could not understand the dictation of the transcendental devotees of the
Lord. They could not even appreciate the begging of the Supreme Lord, Kåñëa and
Balaräma. Although they heard all the arguments on behalf of Kåñëa and Balaräma,
they did not care for them, and they refused to speak to the boys. Despite being
highly elevated in the knowledge of Vedic sacrificial rites, all such nondevotee
brähmaëas, although they think of themselves as very highly elevated, are ignorant,
foolish persons. All their activities are useless because they do not know the purpose
of the Vedas, as it is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä: to understand Kåñëa. In spite of
their advancement in Vedic knowledge and rituals, they do not understand Kåñëa;
therefore their knowledge of the Vedas is superficial. Lord Caitanya, therefore, gave
His valuable opinion that a person does not have to be born in a brähmaëa family; if
he knows Kåñëa or the science of Kåñëa consciousness, he is more than a brähmaëa,
and he is quite fit to become spiritual master.
There are various details to be observed in the performance of sacrifices, and they
are known as collectively as deça. They are as follows: käla means the time, påthak
dravya, the different detailed paraphernalia, mantra, hymns, tantra, scriptural
evidences, agni, fire, åtvij, learned performers of sacrifices, devatä, the demigods,
vajamäna, the performer of the sacrifices, kratu, the sacrifice itself, and dharma, the
procedures. All these are for satisfying Kåñëa. It is confirmed that He is the actual
enjoyer of all sacrifices because He is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead
and the Supreme Absolute Truth, beyond the conception or speculation of material
senses. He is present just like an ordinary human boy. But for persons who identify
themselves with this body, it is very difficult to understand Him. The brähmaëas
were very interested in the comforts of this material body and in elevation to the
higher planetary residences called svarga-väsa. They were therefore completely
unable to understand the position of Kåñëa.
When the boys saw that the brähmaëas would not speak to them, they became very
disappointed. They then returned to Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma and explained
everything that had happened. After hearing their statements, the Supreme
Personality began to smile. He told them that they should not be sorry for being
refused by the brähmaëas because that is the way of begging. He convinced them
that while one is engaged in collecting or begging, one should not think that he will
be successful everywhere. He may be unsuccessful in some places, but that should not
be cause for disappointment. Lord Kåñëa then asked all the boys to go again, but this
time to the wives of those brähmaëas engaged in sacrifices. He also informed them
that these wives were great devotees. “They are always absorbed in thinking of Us.
Go there and ask for some food in My name and the name of Balaräma, and I am
sure that they will deliver you as much food as you desire.”
Carrying out Kåñëa’s order, the boys immediately went to the wives of the
brähmaëas. They found the wives sitting inside their house. They were very
beautifully decorated with ornaments. After offering them all respectful obeisances,
the boys said, “Dear mothers, please accept our humble obeisances and hear our
statement. May we inform you that Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma are nearby. They have
come here with the cows, and you may know also that we have come here under
Their instructions. All of us are very hungry; therefore, we have come to you for
some food. Please give us something to eat for Kåñëa, Balaräma and ourselves.”
Immediately upon hearing this, the wives of the brähmaëas became anxious for
Kåñëa and Balaräma. These reactions were spontaneous. They did not have to be
convinced of the importance of Kåñëa and Balaräma; immediately upon hearing
Their names, they became very anxious to see Them. Being advanced by thinking of
Kåñëa constantly, they were performing the greatest form of mystic meditation. All
the wives then became very busily engaged in filling up different pots with nice
foodstuff. Due to the performance of the sacrifice, the various food was all very
palatable. After collecting a feast, they prepared to go to Kåñëa, their most lovable
object, exactly in the way rivers flow to the sea.
For a long time the wives had been anxious to see Kåñëa. However, when they were
preparing to leave home to go see Him, their husbands, fathers, sons and relatives
asked them not to go. But the wives did not comply. When a devotee is called by the
attraction of Kåñëa, he does not care for bodily ties. The women entered the forest of
Våndävana on the bank of the Yamunä, which was verdant with vegetation and
newly grown vines and flowers. Within that forest, they saw Kåñëa and Balaräma
engaged in tending the cows, along with Their very affectionate boy friends.
The brähmaëas’ wives saw Kåñëa putting on a garment glittering like gold. He wore a
nice garland of forest flowers and a peacock feather on His head. He was also painted
with the minerals found in Våndävana, and He looked exactly like a dancing actor
on a theatrical stage. They saw Him keeping one hand on the shoulder of His friend,
and in His other hand, He was holding a lotus flower. His ears were decorated with
lilies, He wore marks of tilaka, and He was smiling charmingly. With their very eyes,
the wives of the brähmaëas saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, of whom they
had heard so much, who was so dear to them, and in whom their minds were always
absorbed. Now they saw Him eye to eye and face to face, and Kåñëa entered within
their hearts through their eyes.
They began to embrace Kåñëa to their hearts’ content, and the distress of separation
was mitigated immediately. They were just like great sages who, by their
advancement of knowledge, merge into the existence of the Supreme. As the
Supersoul living in everyone’s heart, Lord Kåñëa could understand their minds; they
had come to Him despite all the protests of their relatives, fathers, husbands,
brothers, and all the duties of household affairs. They came just to see Him who was
their life and soul. They were actually following Kåñëa’s instruction in the Bhagavadgétä:
one should surrender to Him, giving up all varieties of occupational and
religious duties. The wives of the brähmaëas actually carried out the instruction of
the Bhagavad-gétä in total. He therefore began to speak to them, smiling very
magnificently. It should be noted in this connection that when Kåñëa entered into
the wives’ hearts and when they embraced Him and felt the transcendental bliss of
being merged with Him, the Supreme Lord Kåñëa did not lose His identity, nor did
the individual wives lose theirs. The individuality of both the Lord and the wives
remained, yet they felt oneness in existence. When a lover submits to his lover
without any pinch of personal consideration, that is called oneness. Lord Caitanya
has taught us this feeling of oneness in His Çikñäñöaka: Kåñëa may act freely, doing
whatever He likes, but the devotee should always be in oneness or in agreement with
His desires. That oneness was exhibited by the wives of the brähmaëas in their love
for Kåñëa.
Kåñëa welcomed them with the following words: “My dear wives of the brähmaëas,
you are all very fortunate and welcomed here. Please let Me know what can I do for
you. Your coming here, neglecting all the restrictions and hindrances of relatives,
fathers, brothers and husbands, in order to see Me, is completely befitting. One who
does this actually knows his self interest, because rendering transcendental loving
service unto Me, without motive or restriction, is actually auspicious for the living
entities.”
Lord Kåñëa here confirms that the highest perfectional stage of the conditioned soul
is surrender to Him. One must give up all other responsibilities. This complete
surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the most auspicious path for
the conditioned soul because the Supreme Lord is the supreme objective of love.
Everyone is loving Kåñëa ultimately, but realization is according to the advancement
of his knowledge. One comes to understand that his self is the spirit soul, and the
spirit soul is nothing but a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord; therefore the
Supreme Lord is the ultimate goal of love, and thus one should surrender unto Him.
This surrender is considered auspicious for the conditioned soul. Our life, property,
home, wife, children, house, country, society and all paraphernalia which are very
dear to us are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the central
object of love because He gives us all bliss, expanding Himself in so many ways
according to our different situations, namely bodily, mental or spiritual.
“My dear wives of the brähmaëas,” Kåñëa said. “You can now return to your homes.
Engage yourselves in sacrificial activities and be engaged in the service of your
husbands and household affairs so that your husbands will be pleased with you, and
the sacrifice which they have begun will be properly executed. After all, your
husbands are householders, and without your help how can they execute their
prescribed duties?”
The wives of the brähmaëas replied, “Dear Lord, this sort of instruction does not
befit You. Your eternal promise is that You will always protect Your devotees, and
now You must fulfill this promise. Anyone who comes and surrenders unto You
never goes back to the conditioned life of material existence. We expect that You
will now fulfill Your promise. We have surrendered unto Your lotus feet, which are
covered by the tulasé leaves, so we have no more desire to return to the company of
our so-called relatives, friends, and society and give up the shelter of Your lotus feet.
And what shall we do, returning home? Our husbands, brothers, fathers, sons,
mothers and our friends do not expect to see us because we have already left them
all. Therefore we have no shelter to return to. Please, therefore, do not ask us to
return home, but arrange for our stay under Your lotus feet so that we can eternally
live under Your protection.”
The Supreme Personality of Godhead replied, “My dear wives, rest assured that your
husbands will not neglect you on your return, nor will your brothers, sons, or fathers
refuse to accept you. Because you are My pure devotees, not only your relatives but
also people in general, as well as the demigods, will be satisfied with you.” Kåñëa is
situated as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart. So if someone becomes a pure devotee
of Lord Kåñëa, he immediately becomes pleasing to everyone. The pure devotee of
Lord Kåñëa is never inimical to anyone. A sane person cannot be an enemy of a pure
devotee. “Transcendental love for Me does not depend upon bodily connection,”
Kåñëa said further, “but anyone whose mind is always absorbed in Me will surely,
very soon, come to Me for My eternal association.”
After being instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the wives again
returned home to their respective husbands. Pleased to see their wives back home,
the brähmaëas executed the performances of sacrifices by sitting together, as it is
enjoined in the çästras. According to Vedic principle, religious rituals must be
executed by the husband and wife together. When the brähmaëas’ wives returned,
the sacrifice was duly and nicely executed. One of the brähmaëas’ wives, however,
who was forcibly checked from going to see Kåñëa, began to remember Him as she
heard of His bodily features. Being completely absorbed in His thought, she gave up
her material body conditioned by the laws of nature.
Çré Govinda, the ever-joyful Personality of Godhead, revealed His transcendental
pastimes, appearing just like an ordinary human being, and enjoyed the food offered
by the wives of the brähmaëas. In this way, He attracted common persons to Kåñëa
consciousness. He attracted to His words and beauty all the cows, cowherd boys and
damsels in Våndävana.
After the return of their wives from Kåñëa, the brähmaëas engaged in the
performance of sacrifices began to regret their sinful activities in refusing food to
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They could finally understand their mistake;
engaged in the performance of Vedic rituals, they had neglected the Supreme
Personality of Godhead who had appeared just like an ordinary human being and
asked for some food. They began to condemn themselves after seeing the faith and
devotion of their wives. They regretted very much that, although their wives were
elevated to the platform of pure devotional service, they themselves could not
understand even a little bit of how to love and offer transcendental loving service to
the Supreme Soul. They began to talk among themselves. “To hell with our being
born brähmaëas! To hell with our learning all Vedic literatures! To hell with our
performing great sacrifices and observing all the rules and regulations! To hell with
our family! To hell with our expert service in performing the rituals exactly to the
description of scriptures! To hell with it all, for we have not developed
transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond
the speculation of the mind, body and senses.”
The learned brähmaëas, expert in Vedic ritualistic performances, were properly
regretful, because without developing Kåñëa consciousness, all discharge of religious
duties is simply a waste of time and energy. They continued to talk among
themselves; “The external energy of Kåñëa is so strong that it can create illusion to
overcome even the greatest mystic yogi. Although we expert brähmaëas are
considered to be the teachers of all other sections of human society, we also have
been illusioned by the external energy. Just see how fortunate these women are who
have so devotedly dedicated their lives to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Kåñëa. They could easily give up their family connection, which is so difficult to do.
Family life is just like a dark well for the continuation of material miseries.”
Women in general, being very simple in heart, can very easily take to Kåñëa
consciousness, and when they develop love of Kåñëa they can easily get liberation
from the clutches of mäyä, which is very difficult for even so-called intelligent and
learned men to surpass. According to Vedic injunction, women are not allowed to
undergo the purificatory process of initiation by the sacred thread, nor are they
allowed to live as brahmacäriëé in the äçrama of the spiritual master; nor are they
advised to undergo the strict disciplinary procedure; nor are they very much expert
in discussing philosophy or self-realization. And by nature they are not very pure;
nor are they very much attached to auspicious activities. “But how wonderful it is
that they have developed transcendental love for Kåñëa, the Lord of all mystic
yogés!” the brähmaëas exlaimed. “They have surpassed all of us in firm faith and
devotion unto Kåñëa. Being too attached to the materialistic way of life, although we
are considered to be masters in all purificatory processes, we did not actually know
what the goal is. Even though we were reminded of Kåñëa and Balaräma by the
cowherd boys, we disregarded Them. We think now that it was simply a trick of
mercy upon us by the Supreme Personality of Godhead that He sent His friends to
beg foodstuff from us. Otherwise, He had no need to send them. He could have
satisfied their hunger then and there just by willing to do so.”
If someone denies Kåñëa’s self-sufficiency on hearing that He was tending the cows
for livelihood, or if someone doubts His not being in need of the foodstuff, thinking
that He was actually hungry, then one should understand that the goddess of fortune
is always engaged in His service. In this way the goddess can break her faulty habit of
restlessness. In Vedic literatures like Brahma-saàhitä it is stated that Kåñëa is served
in His abode with great respect by not only one goddess of fortune but many
thousands. Therefore it is simply illusion for one to think that Kåñëa begged food
from the brähmaëas. It was actually a trick to show them the mercy of accepting
Him in pure devotional service. The Vedic ceremonial paraphernalia, the suitable
place, suitable time, different grades of articles for performing ritualistic ceremonies,
the Vedic hymns, the priest who is able to perform such sacrifice, the fire and the
demigods, the performer of the sacrifice and the religious principles are all meant for
understanding Kåñëa, for Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the
Supreme Lord Viñëu, and the Lord of all mystic yogés.
“Because He has appeared as a child in the dynasty of the Yadus, we were so foolish
that we could not understand that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” the
brähmaëas said. “But on the other hand, we are very proud because we have such
exalted wives who have developed pure transcendental service of the Lord without
being shackled by our rigid position. Let us therefore offer our respectful obeisances
unto the lotus feet of Lord Kåñëa, under whose illusory energy, called mäyä, we are
absorbed in fruitive activities. We therefore pray to the Lord to be kind enough to
excuse us because we are simply captivated by His external energy. We transgressed
His order without knowing His transcendental glories.”
The brähmaëas repented for their sinful activities. They wanted to go personally to
offer their obeisances unto Him, but being afraid of Kaàsa, they could not go. In
other words, it is very difficult for one to surrender fully unto the Personality of
Godhead without being purified by devotional service. The example of the learned
brähmaëas and their wives is vivid. The wives of the brähmaëas, because they were
infused by pure devotional service, did not care for any kind of opposition. They
immediately went to Kåñëa. But although the brähmaëas had come to know the
supremacy of the Lord and were repenting, they were still afraid of King Kaàsa
because they were too addicted to fruitive activities.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-third Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Delivering the Wives of the Brahmanas Who Performed Sacrifices.”
24 / Worshiping Govardhana Hill
While engaged with the brähmaëas who were too involved in the performance of
Vedic sacrifices, Kåñëa and Balaräma also saw that the cowherd men were preparing
a similar sacrifice in order to pacify Indra, the King of heaven, who is responsible for
supplying water. As stated in the Caitanya-caritämåta, a devotee of Kåñëa has strong
and firm faith in the understanding that if he is simply engaged in Kåñëa
consciousness and Kåñëa’s transcendental loving service, then he is freed from all
other obligations. A pure devotee of Lord Kåñëa doesn’t have to perform any of the
ritualistic functions enjoined in the Vedas; nor is he required to worship any
demigods. Being a devotee of Lord Kåñëa, one is understood to have performed all
kinds of Vedic rituals and all kinds of worship to the demigods. Just by performing
the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies or worshiping the demigods, one does not develop
devotional service for Kåñëa but one who is engaged fully in the service of the Lord
has already finished all Vedic injunctions.
Kåñëa ordered a stop to all such activities by His devotees, for He wanted to firmly
establish exclusive devotional service during His presence in Våndävana. Kåñëa
knew that the cowherd men were preparing for the Indra sacrifice beause He is the
omniscient Personality of Godhead, but as a matter of etiquette, He began to inquire
with great honor and submission from elder personalities like Mahäräja Nanda and
others.
Kåñëa asked His father, “My dear father, what is this arrangement going on for a
great sacrifice? What is the result of such sacrifice, and for whom is it meant? How is
it performed? Will you kindly let Me know? I am very anxious to know this
procedure, so please explain to Me the purpose of this sacrifice.” Upon this inquiry,
His father, Nanda Mahäräja, remained silent, thinking that his young boy would not
be able to understand the intricacies of performing the yajïa. Kåñëa, however,
persisted: “My dear father, for those who are liberal and saintly, there is no secrecy.
They do not think anyone to be a friend or enemy because they are always open to
everyone. And even for those who are not so liberal, nothing should be secret for the
family members and friends, although secrecy may be maintained for persons who
are inimical. Therefore you cannot keep any secrets from Me. All persons are
engaged in fruitive activities. Some know what these activities are, and they know
the result, and some execute activities without knowing the purpose or the result. A
person who acts with full knowledge gets the full result; one who acts without
knowledge does not get such a perfect result. Therefore, please let Me know the
purpose of the sacrifice which you are going to perform. Is it according to Vedic
injunction? Or is it simply a popular ceremony? Kindly let Me know in detail about
the sacrifice.”
On hearing this inquiry from Kåñëa, Mahäräja Nanda replied, “My dear boy, this
ceremonial performance is more or less traditional. Because rainfall is due to the
mercy of King Indra and the clouds are his representatives, and because water is so
important for our living, we must show some gratitude to the controller of this
rainfall, Mahäräja Indra. We are arranging, therefore, to pacify King Indra, because
he has very kindly sent us clouds to pour down sufficient quantity of rain for
successful agricultural activities. Water is very important; without rainfall we cannot
farm or produce grains. We cannot live if there is no rainfall. It is necessary for
successful religious ceremonies, economic development, and, ultimately, liberation.
Therefore we should not give up the traditional ceremonial function; if one gives it
up, being influenced by lust, or greed or fear, then it does not look very good for
him.”
After hearing this, Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the presence of
His father and all the cowherd men of Våndävana, spoke in such a way as to make
heavenly King Indra very angry. He suggested that they forgo the sacrifice. His
reasons for discouraging the sacrifice performed to please Indra were twofold. First,
as stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, there is no need to worship the demigods for any
material advancement; all results derived from worshiping the demigods are simply
temporary, and only those who are less intelligent are interested with temporary
results. Secondly, whatever temporary result one derives from worshiping the
demigods is actually granted by the permission of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, mayaiva vihitän hi tän. Whatever
benefit is supposed to be derived from the demigods is actually bestowed by the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without the permission of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, one cannot bestow any benefit upon others. But sometimes
the demigods become puffed up by the influence of material nature; thinking
themselves as all in all, they try to forget the supremacy of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam, it is clearly stated that in this instance
Kåñëa wanted to make King Indra angry. Kåñëa’s advent was especially meant for the
annihilation of the demons and protection of the devotees. King Indra was certainly
a devotee, not a demon, but because he was puffed up, Kåñëa wanted to teach him a
lesson. He first tried to make Indra angry by stopping the Indra Püjä, which was
arranged by the cowherd men in Våndävana.
With this purpose in mind, Kåñëa began to talk as if He were an atheist supporting
the philosophy of karma-mémäàsä. Advocates of this type of philosophy do not
accept the supreme authority of the Personality of Godhead. They put forward the
argument that if anyone works nicely, the result is sure to come. Their opinion is
that even if there is a God who gives man the result of his fruitive activities, there is
no need to worship Him because unless man works He cannot bestow any good
result. They say that instead of worshiping a demigod or God, people should give
attention to their own duties, and thus the good result will surely come. Lord Kåñëa
began to speak to His father according to these principles of the karma-mémäàsä
philosophy. “My dear father,” He said, “I don’t think you need to worship any
demigod for the successful performance of your agricultural activities. Every living
being is born according to his past karma and leaves this life simply taking the result
of his present karma. Everyone is born in different types or species of life according
to his past activities, and he gets his next birth according to the activities of this life.
Different grades of material happiness and distress, comforts and disadvantages of
life, are different results of different kinds of activities, either from the past or
present life.”
Mahäräja Nanda and other elderly members argued that without satisfying the
predominating god, one cannot derive any good result simply by material activities.
This is actually the fact. For example, it is sometimes found that, in spite of firstclass
medical help and treatment by a first-class physician, a diseased person dies. It
is concluded, therefore, that first-class medical treatment or the attempts of a firstclass
physician are not in themselves the cause for curing a patient; there must be
the hand of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, a father’s and mother’s
taking care of their children is not the cause of the children’s comfort. Sometimes it
is found that in spite of all care by the parents, the children go bad or succumb to
death. Therefore material causes are not sufficient for results. There must be the
sanction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nanda Mahäräja therefore
advocated that, in order to get good results for agricultural activities, they must
satisfy Indra, the superintending deity of the rain supply. Lord Kåñëa nullified this
argument, saying that the demigods give results only to persons who have executed
their prescribed duties; therefore demigods are dependent on the execution of duties
and are not absolute in awarding good results to anyone.
“My dear father, there is no need to worship the demigod Indra,” Lord Kåñëa said.
“Everyone has to achieve the result of his own work. We can actually see that one
becomes busy according to the natural tendency of his work; and according to that
natural tendency, all living entities—either human beings or demigods—achieve
their respective results. All living entities achieve higher or lower bodies and create
enemies, friends or neutral parties only because of their different kinds of work. One
should be careful to discharge duties according to his natural instinct and not divert
attention to the worship of various demigods. The demigods will be satisfied by
proper execution of all duties, so there is no need to worship them. Let us, rather,
perform our prescribed duties very nicely. Actually one cannot be happy without
executing his proper prescribed duty. One who does not, therefore, properly
discharge his prescribed duties, is compared with an unchaste woman. The proper
prescribed duty of the brähmaëas is the study of the Vedas; the proper duty of the
royal order, the kñatriyas, is engagement in protecting the citizens; the proper duty of
the vaiçya community is agriculture, trade and protection of the cows; and the
proper duty of the çüdras is service to the higher classes, namely the brähmaëas,
kñatriyas, and vaiçyas. We belong to the vaiçya community, and our proper duty is to
farm, or to trade with the agricultural produce, to protect cows, or take to banking.”
Kåñëa identified Himself with the vaiçya community because Nanda Mahäräja was
protecting many cows, and Kåñëa was taking care of them. He enumerated four kinds
of business engagements for the vaiçya community, namely agriculture, trade,
protection of cows and banking. Although the vaiçyas can take to any of these
occupations, the men of Våndävana were engaged primarily in the protection of
cows.
Kåñëa further explained to His father: “This cosmic manifestation is going on under
the influence of three modes of material nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance.
These three modes are the causes of creation, maintenance, and destruction. The
cloud is caused by the action of the mode of passion; therefore it is the mode of
passion which causes the rainfall. And after the rainfall, the living entities derive
the result—success in agricultural work. What, then, has Indra to do in this affair?
Even if you do not please Indra, what can he do? We do not derive any special
benefit from Indra. Even if he is there, he pours water on the ocean also, where
there is no need of water. So he is pouring water on the ocean or on the land; it does
not depend on our worshiping him. As far as we are concerned, we do not need to go
to another city or village or foreign country. There are palatial buildings in the
cities, but we are satisfied living in this forest of Våndävana. Our specific
relationship is with Govardhana Hill and Våndävana forest and nothing more. I
therefore request you, My dear father, to begin a sacrifice which will satisfy the local
brähmaëas and Govardhana Hill, and let us have nothing to do with Indra.”
After hearing this statement by Kåñëa, Nanda Mahäräja replied, “My dear boy, since
You are asking, I shall arrange for a separate sacrifice for the local brähmaëas and
Govardhana Hill. But for the present let me execute this sacrifice known as Indrayajïa.”
But Kåñëa replied, “My dear father, don’t delay. The sacrifice you propose for
Govardhana and the local brähmaëas will take much time. Better take the
arrangement and paraphernalia you have already made for sacrificing Indra-yajïa
and immediately engage it to satisfy Govardhana Hill and the local brähmaëas.”
Mahäräja Nanda finally relented. The cowherd men then inquired from Kåñëa how
He wanted the yajïa performed, and Kåñëa gave them the following directions.
“Prepare very nice foodstuffs of all descriptions from the grains and ghee collected
for the yajïa. Prepare rice, dahl, then halavah, päkorä, puri and all kinds of milk
preparations like sweet rice, sweetballs, sandeça, rasagullä and läòòu and invite the
learned brähmaëas who can chant the Vedic hymns and offer oblations to the fire.
The brähmaëas should be given all kinds of grains in charity. Then decorate all the
cows and feed them well. After performing this, give money in charity to the
brähmaëas. As far as the lower animals are concerned, such as the dogs, and the
lower grades of people, such as the cäëòälas, or the fifth class of men who are
considered untouchable, they also may be given sumptuous prasädam. After giving
nice grasses to the cows, the sacrifice known as Govardhana Püjä may immediately
begin. This sacrifice will very much satisfy Me.”
In this statement, Lord Kåñëa practically described the whole economy of the vaiçya
community. In all communities of human society, and in the animal kingdom, among
the cows, dogs, goats, etc., everyone has his part to play. Each is to work in
cooperation for the total benefit of all society, which includes not only animate
objects but also inanimate objects like hills and land. The vaiçya community is
specifically responsible for the economic improvement of the society by producing
grains, by giving protection to the cows, by transporting food when needed, and by
banking and finance.
From this statement we learn also that the cats and dogs, although not so important,
are not to be neglected. Cow protection is actually more important than protection
of cats and dogs. Another hint we get from this statement is that the cäëòälas or the
untouchables are also not to be neglected by the higher classes. Everyone is
important, but some are directly responsible for the advancement of human society,
and some are only indirectly responsible. However, when Kåñëa consciousness is
there, then everyone’s total benefit is taken care of.
The sacrifice known as Govardhana Püjä is observed in the Kåñëa consciousness
movement. Lord Caitanya has recommended that since Kåñëa is worshipable, so His
land, Våndävana and Govardhana Hill, are also worshipable. To confirm this
statement, Lord Kåñëa said that Govardhana Püjä is as good as worship of Him. From
that day, the Govardhana Püjä has been still going on and is known as Annaküöa. In
all the temples of Våndävana or outside of Våndävana, huge quantities of food are
prepared in this ceremony and are very sumptuously distributed to the general
population. Sometimes the food is thrown to the crowds, and they enjoy collecting it
off the ground. From these instances, we can understand that prasädam offered to
Kåñëa never becomes polluted or contaminated, even if it is thrown on the ground.
The people, therefore, collect it and eat with great satisfaction.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, therefore advised the cowherd men to
stop the Indra-yajïa and begin the Govardhana Püjä in order to chastise Indra who
was very much puffed up at being the supreme controller of the heavenly planets.
The honest and simple cowherd men headed by Nanda Mahäräja accepted Kåñëa’s
proposal and executed in detail everything He advised. They performed Govardhana
worship and circumambulation of the hill. (Following the inauguration of
Govardhana Püjä, people in Våndävana still dress nicely and assemble near
Govardhana Hill to offer worship and circumambulate the hill, leading their cows all
around.) According to the instruction of Lord Kåñëa, Nanda Mahäräja and the
cowherd men called in learned brähmaëas and began to worship Govardhana Hill by
chanting Vedic hymns and offering prasädam. The inhabitants of Våndävana
assembled together, decorated their cows and gave them grass. Keeping the cows in
front, they began to circumambulate Govardhana Hill. The gopés also dressed
themselves very luxuriantly and sat in bull-driven carts, chanting the glories of
Kåñëa’s pastimes. Assembled there to act as priests for Govardhana Püjä, the
brähmaëas offered their blessings to the cowherd men and their wives, the gopés.
When everything was complete, Kåñëa assumed a great transcendental form and
declared to the inhabitants of Våndävana that He was Himself Govardhana Hill in
order to convince the devotees that Govardhana Hill and Kåñëa Himself are
identical. Then Kåñëa began to eat all the food offered there. The identity of Kåñëa
and Govardhana Hill is still honored, and great devotees take rocks from
Govardhana Hill and worship them exactly as they worship the Deity of Kåñëa in
the temples. Devotees therefore collect small rocks or pebbles from Govardhana Hill
and worship them at home, because this worship is as good as Deity worship. The
form of Kåñëa who began to eat the offerings was separately constituted, and Kåñëa
Himself along with other inhabitants of Våndävana began to offer obeisances to the
Deity as well as Govardhana Hill. In offering obeisances to the huge form of Kåñëa
Himself and Govardhana Hill, Kåñëa declared, “Just see how Govardhana Hill has
assumed this huge form and is favoring us by accepting all the offerings.” Kåñëa also
declared at that meeting, “One who neglects the worship of Govardhana Püjä, as I
am personally conducting it, will not be happy. There are many snakes on
Govardhana Hill, and persons neglecting the prescribed duty of Govardhana Püjä
will be bitten by these snakes and killed. In order to assure the good fortune of the
cows and themselves, all people of Våndävana near Govardhana must worship the
hill, as prescribed by Me.”
Thus performing the Govardhana Püjä sacrifice, all the inhabitants of Våndävana
followed the instructions of Kåñëa, the son of Vasudeva, and afterwards they
returned to their respective homes.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-fourth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Worshiping Govardhana Hill.”
25 / Devastating Rainfall in Våndävana
When Indra understood that the sacrifice offered by the cowherd men in Våndävana
was stopped by Kåñëa, he became angry, and he vented his anger upon the
inhabitants of Våndävana, who were headed by Nanda Mahäräja, although Indra
knew perfectly well that Kåñëa was personally protecting them. As the director of
different kinds of clouds, Indra called for the säàvartaka. This cloud is invited when
there is a need to devastate the whole cosmic manifestation. The säàvartaka was
ordered by Indra to go over Våndävana and inundate the whole area with an
extensive flood. Demonically, Indra thought himself to be the all-powerful supreme
personality. When demons become very powerful, they defy the supreme controller,
Personality of Godhead. Indra, though not a demon, was puffed up by his material
position, and he wanted to challenge the supreme controller. He thought himself, at
least for the time being, as powerful as Kåñëa. Indra said, “Just see the impudence of
the inhabitants of Våndävana! They are simply inhabitants of the forest, but being
infatuated with their friend Kåñëa, who is nothing but an ordinary human being,
they have dared to defy the demigods.”
Kåñëa has declared in the Bhagavad-gétä that the worshipers of the demigods are not
very intelligent. He has also declared that one has to give up all kinds of worship and
simply concentrate on Kåñëa consciousness. Kåñëa’s invoking the anger of Indra and
later on chastising him is a clear indication to His devotee that those who are
engaged in Kåñëa consciousness have no need to worship any demigod, even if it is
found that the demigod has become angry. Kåñëa gives His devotees all protection,
and they should completely depend on His mercy.
Indra cursed the action of the inhabitants of Våndävana and said, “By defying the
authority of the demigods, the inhabitants of Våndävana will suffer in material
existence. Having neglected the sacrifice to the demigods, they cannot cross over the
impediments of the ocean of material miseries.” Indra further declared, “These
cowherd men in Våndävana have neglected my authority on the advice of this
talkative boy who is known as Kåñëa. He is nothing but a child, and by believing this
child, they have enraged me.” Thus he ordered the säàvartaka cloud to go and
destroy the prosperity of Våndävana. “The men of Våndävana,” said Indra, “have
become too puffed up over their material opulence and their confidence in the
presence of their tiny friend, Kåñëa. He is simply talkative, childish, and unaware of
the complete cosmic situation, although He is thinking Himself very advanced in
knowledge. Because they have taken Kåñëa so seriously, they must be punished, and
so I have ordered the säàvartaka cloud to go to there and inundate the place. They
should be destroyed with their cows.”
It is indicated here that in the villages or outside the towns, the inhabitants must
depend on the cows for their prosperity. When the cows are destroyed, the people
are destitute of all kinds of opulences. When King Indra ordered the säàvartaka and
companion clouds to go to Våndävana, the clouds were afraid of the assignment. But
King Indra assured them, “You go ahead, and I will also go, riding on my elephant,
accompanied by great storms. And I shall apply all my strength to punish the
inhabitants of Våndävana.”
Ordered by King Indra, all the dangerous clouds appeared above Våndävana and
began to pour water incessantly, with all their strength and power. There was
constant lightning and thunder, blowing of severe wind and incessant falling of rain.
The rainfall seemed to fall like piercing sharp arrows. By pouring water as thick as
pillars, without cessation, the clouds gradually filled all the lands in Våndävana with
water, and there was no visible distinction between higher and lower land. The
situation was very dangerous, especially for the animals. The rainfall was
accompanied by great winds, and every living creature in Våndävana began to
tremble from the severe cold. Unable to find any other source of deliverance, they
all approached Govinda to take shelter at His lotus feet. The cows especially, being
much aggrieved from the heavy rain, bowed down their heads, and taking their
calves underneath their bodies, they approached the Supreme Personality of
Godhead to take shelter of His lotus feet. At that time all the inhabitants of
Våndävana began to pray to Lord Kåñëa. “Dear Kåñëa,” they prayed, “You are allpowerful,
and You are very affectionate to Your devotees. Now please protect us who
have been much harassed by angry Indra.”
Upon hearing their prayer, Kåñëa could also understand that Indra, being bereft of
his sacrificial honor, was pouring down rain that was accompanied by heavy pieces of
ice and strong winds, although all this was out of season. Kåñëa understood that this
was a deliberate exhibition of anger by Indra. He therefore concluded, “This demigod
who thinks himself supreme has shown his great power, but I shall answer him
according to My position, and I shall teach him that he is not autonomous in
managing universal affairs. I am the Supreme Lord over all, and I shall thus take
away his false prestige which has risen from his power. The demigods are My
devotees, and therefore it is not possible for them to forget My supremacy, but
somehow or other he has become puffed up with material power and thus is now
maddened. I shall act in such a way to relieve him of this false prestige. I shall give
protection to My pure devotees in Våndävana, who are at present completely at My
mercy and whom I have taken completely under My protection. I will save them by
My mystic power.”
Thinking in this way, Lord Kåñëa immediately picked up Govardhana Hill with one
hand, exactly as a child picks up a mushroom from the ground. Thus He exhibited
His transcendental pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill. Lord Kåñëa then began to
address His devotees, “My dear brothers, My dear father, My dear inhabitants of
Våndävana, you can now safely enter under the umbrella of Govardhana Hill, which
I have just lifted. Do not be afraid of the hill and think that it will fall from My
hand. You have been too much afflicted from the heavy rain and strong wind;
therefore I have lifted this hill, which will protect you exactly like a huge umbrella. I
think this is a proper arrangement to relieve you from your immediate distress. Be
happy along with your animals underneath this great umbrella.” Being assured by
Lord Kåñëa, all the inhabitants of Våndävana entered beneath the great hill and
appeared to be safe along with their property and animals.
The inhabitants of Våndävana and their animals remained there for one week
without being disturbed by hunger, thirst or any other discomforts. They were simply
astonished to see how Kåñëa was holding up the mountain with the little finger of
His left hand. Seeing the extraordinary mystic power of Kåñëa, Indra, the King of
heaven, was thunderstruck and baffled in his determination. He immediately called
for all the clouds and asked them to desist. When the sky became completely cleared
of all clouds and there was sunrise again, the strong winds stopped. At that time
Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, known now as the lifter of Govardhana
Hill, said, “My dear cowherd men, now you can leave and take your wives, children,
cows and valuables, because everything is ended. The inundation has gone down,
along with the swelling waters of the river.”
All the men loaded their valuables on carts and slowly left with their cows and other
paraphernalia. After they had cleared out everything, Lord Kåñëa very slowly
replaced Govardhana Hill exactly in the same position as it had been before. When
everything was done, all the inhabitants of Våndävana approached Kåñëa and
embraced Him with great ecstasy. The gopés, being naturally very affectionate to
Kåñëa, began to offer Him curd mixed with their tears, and they poured incessant
blessings upon Him. Mother Yaçodä, mother Rohiëé, Nanda, and Balaräma, who is
the strongest of the strong, embraced Kåñëa one after another and, from
spontaneous feelings of affection, blessed Him over and over again. In the heavens,
different demigods from different planetary systems, such as Siddhaloka,
Gandharvaloka and Cäraëaloka, also began to show their complete satisfaction.
They poured showers of flowers on the surface of the earth and sounded different
conchshells. There was beating of drums, and being inspired by godly feelings,
residents of Gandharvaloka began to play on their tampouras to please the Lord.
After this incident, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, surrounded by His dear
friends and animals, returned to His home. As usual, the gopés began to chant the
glorious pastimes of Lord Kåñëa with great feeling, for they were chanting from the
heart.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-fifth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Devastating Rainfall in Våndävana.”
26 / Wonderful Kåñëa
Without understanding the intricacies of Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and without knowing His uncommon spiritual opulences, the innocent
cowherd boys and men of Våndävana began to discuss the wonderful activities of
Kåñëa which surpass the activities of all men.
One of them said, “My dear friends, considering His wonderful activities, how is it
possible that such an uncommon boy would come and live with us in Våndävana? It
is really not possible. Just imagine! He is now only seven years old! How was it
possible for Him to lift Govardhana Hill in one hand and hold it up just like the king
of elephants holds a lotus flower? To lift a lotus flower is a most insignificant thing
for an elephant, and similarly Kåñëa lifted Govardhana Hill without exertion. When
He was simply a small baby and could not even see properly, He killed a great demon,
Pütanä. While sucking her breast, He also sucked out her life-air. Kåñëa killed the
Pütanä demon exactly as eternal time kills a living creature in due course. When He
was only three months old, He was sleeping underneath a hand-driven cart. Being
hungry for His mother’s breast, He began to cry and throw His legs upwards. And
from the kicking of His small feet the cart immediately broke apart and fell to pieces.
When He was only one year old, He was carried away by the Tåëävarta demon
disguised as a whirlwind, and although He was taken very high in the sky, He simply
hung on the neck of the demon and forced him to fall from the sky and immediately
die. Once His mother, being disturbed by His stealing butter, tied Him to a wooden
mortar, and the child pushed it towards a pair of trees known as yamala arjuna and
caused them to fall. Once, when He was engaged in tending the calves in the forest
along with His elder brother, Balaräma, a demon named Bakäsura appeared, and
Kåñëa at once bifurcated the demon’s beaks. When the demon known as Vatsäsura
entered among the calves tended by Kåñëa with a desire to kill Him, He immediately
detected the demon, killed him, and threw him into a tree. When Kåñëa, along with
His brother, Balaräma, entered the Tälavana forest, the demon known as
Dhenukäsura, in the shape of an ass, attacked Them and was immediately killed by
Balaräma, who caught his hind legs and threw him in a palm tree. Although the
Dhenukäsura demon was assisted by his cohorts, also in the shape of asses, all were
killed, and the Tälavana forest was then open for the use of the animals and
inhabitants of Våndävana. When Pralambäsura entered amongst His cowherd boy
friends, He caused his death by Balaräma. Thereafter, Kåñëa saved His friends and
cows from the severe forest fire, and He chastised the Käliya serpent in the lake of
Yamunä and forced him to leave the vicinity of the Yamunä River; He thereby made
the water of the Yamunä poisonless.”
Another one of the friends of Nanda Mahäräja said, “My dear Nanda, we do not
know why we are so attracted by your son Kåñëa. We want to forget Him, but this is
impossible. Why are we so naturally affectionate toward Him? Just imagine how
wonderful it is! On one hand He is only a boy of seven years old, and on the other
hand there is a huge hill like Govardhana Hill, and He lifted it so easily! O Nanda
Mahäräja, we are now in great doubt—your son Kåñëa must be one of the demigods.
He is not at all an ordinary boy. Maybe He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
On hearing the praises of the cowherd men in Våndävana, King Nanda said, “My
dear friends, in reply to you I can simply present the statement of Gargamuni so that
your doubts may be cleared. When he came to perform the name-giving ceremony,
he said that this boy descends in different periods of time in different colors and that
this time He has appeared in Våndävana in a dark color and is known as Kåñëa.
Previously, He has white color, then red color, then yellow color. He also said that
this boy was once the son of Vasudeva, and everyone who knows of His previous
birth calls Him Väsudeva. Actually he said that my son has many varieties of names,
according to His different qualities and activities. Gargäcärya assured me that this
boy will be all-auspicious for my family and that He will be able to give
transcendental blissful pleasure to all the cowherd men and cows in Våndävana.
Even though we will be put into various kinds of difficulties, by the grace of this boy
we will be very easily freed from them. He also said that formerly this boy saved the
world from an unregulated condition, and He saved all honest men from the hands
of the dishonest. He also said that any fortunate man who becomes attached to this
boy, Kåñëa, is never vanquished or defeated by his enemy. On the whole, He is
exactly like Lord Viñëu, who always takes the side of the demigods, who are
consequently never defeated by the demons. Gargäcärya thus concluded that my
child would grow to be exactly like Viñëu in transcendental beauty, qualification,
activities, influence and opulence, and so we should not be very astonished by His
wonderful activities. After telling me this, Gargäcärya returned home, and since
then we have been continually seeing the wonderful activities of this child.
According to the version of Gargäcärya, I consider that He must be Näräyaëa
Himself, or maybe a plenary portion of Näräyaëa.”
When all the cowherd men very attentively heard the statements of Gargäcärya
through Nanda Mahäräja, they better appreciated the wonderful activities of Kåñëa
and became very jubilant and satisfied. They began to praise Nanda Mahäräja,
because by consulting him their doubts about Kåñëa were cleared. They said, “Let
Kåñëa, who is so kind, beautiful and merciful, protect us. When angry Indra sent
torrents of rain, accompanied by showers of ice blocks and high wind, He
immediately took compassion upon us and saved us and our families, cows and
valuable possessions by picking up the Govardhana Hill, just as a child picks up a
mushroom. He saved us so wonderfully. May He continue to mercifully glance over
us and our cows. May we live peacefully under the protection of wonderful Kåñëa.”
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-sixth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Wonderful Kåñëa.”
27 / Prayers by Indra, the King of Heaven
When Kåñëa saved the inhabitants of Våndävana from the wrath of Indra by lifting
Govardhana Hill, a surabhi cow from Goloka Våndävana, as well as King Indra from
the heavenly planet, appeared before Him. Indra, the King of heaven, was conscious
of his offense before Kåñëa; therefore he stealthily appeared before Him from a
secluded place. He immediately fell down at the lotus feet of Kåñëa, although his own
crown was dazzling like sunshine. Indra knew about the exalted position of Kåñëa
because Kåñëa is the master of Indra, but he could not believe that Kåñëa could come
down and live in Våndävana among the cowherd men. When Kåñëa defied the
authority of Indra, Indra became angry because he thought that he was all in all
within this universe and that no one was as powerful as he. But after this incident,
his false puffed up prestige was destroyed. Being conscious of his subordinate
position, he appeared before Kåñëa with folded hands and began to offer the
following prayers.
“My dear Lord,” Indra said, “being puffed up by my false prestige, I thought that You
had offended me by not allowing the cowherd men to perform the Indra-yajïa, and I
thought that You wanted to enjoy the offerings that were arranged for the sacrifice.
I thought that in the name of a Govardhana sacrifice, You were taking my share of
profit, and therefore I mistook Your position. Now by Your grace I can understand
that You are the Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead, and that You are
transcendental to all the material qualities. Your transcendental position is
viçuddha-sattvam, which is above the platform of the material mode of goodness, and
Your transcendental abode is beyond the disturbance of the material qualities. Your
name, fame, form, quality and pastimes are all beyond this material nature, and they
are never disturbed by the three material modes. Your abode is accessible only for
one who undergoes severe austerities and penances and who is completely freed from
the onslaught of material qualities like passion and ignorance. If someone thinks
that when You come within this material world You accept the modes of material
nature, he is mistaken. The webs of the material qualities are never able to touch
You, and You certainly do not accept them when You are present within this world.
Your Lordship is never conditioned by the laws of material nature.
“My dear Lord, You are the original father of this cosmic manifestation. You are the
supreme spiritual master of this cosmic world, and You are the original proprietor of
everything. As eternal time, You are competent to chastise offenders. Within this
material world there are many fools like myself who consider themselves to be the
Supreme Lord or the all in all within the universe. You are so merciful that without
punishing their offenses, You devise means so that their false prestige is subdued and
they can know that You, and none else, are the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
“My dear Lord, You are the supreme father, the supreme spiritual master and
supreme king. Therefore, You have the right to chastise all living entities whenever
there is any discrepancy in their behavior. The father, the spiritual master, and the
supreme executive officer of the state are always well-wishers of their sons, their
students and their citizens respectively. As such, the well-wishers have the right to
chastise their dependents. By Your own desire You appear auspiciously on the earth
in Your eternal varieties of forms; You come to glorify the earthly planet and
specifically to chastise persons who are falsely claiming to be God. In the material
world there is regular competition between different types of living entities to
become supreme leaders of society, and after being frustrated in achieving the
supreme positions of leadership, foolish persons claim to be God, the Supreme
Personality. There are many such foolish personalities in this world, like me, but in
due course of time, when they come to their senses, they surrender unto You and
again engage themselves properly by rendering service unto You. And that is the
purpose of Your chastising persons envious of You.
“My dear Lord, I committed a great offense unto Your lotus feet, being falsely proud
of my material opulences, not knowing Your unlimited power. Therefore, my Lord,
kindly excuse me, because I am fool number one. Kindly give me Your blessings so
that I may not act so foolishly again. If You think, my Lord, that the offense is very
great and cannot be excused, then I appeal to You that I am Your eternal servant;
Your appearance in this world is to give protection to Your eternal servants and to
destroy the demons who maintain great military strength just to burden the very
existence of the earth. As I am Your eternal servant, kindly excuse me.
“My dear Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I offer my respectful
obeisances unto You because You are the Supreme Person and the Supreme Soul.
You are the son of Vasudeva, and You are the Supreme Lord, Kåñëa, the master of all
pure devotees. Please accept my prostrated obeisances. You are the personification of
supreme knowledge. You can appear anywhere according to Your desire in any one
of Your eternal forms. You are the root of all creation and the Supreme Soul of all
living entities. Due to my gross ignorance, I created great disturbance in Våndävana
by sending torrents of rain and heavy hailstorm. I acted out of severe anger caused
by Your stopping the sacrifice which was to be held to satisfy me. But my dear Lord,
You are so kind to me that You have bestowed Your mercy upon me by destroying all
my false pride. I therefore take shelter unto Your lotus feet. My dear Lord, You are
not only the supreme controller, but also the spiritual master of all living entities.”
Thus praised by Indra, Lord Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, smiling
beautifully, said, “My dear Indra, I have stopped your sacrifice just to show My
causeless mercy and to revive your memory that I am your eternal master. I am not
only your master, but I am the master of all the other demigods as well. You should
always remember that all your material opulences are due to My mercy. Everyone
should always remember that I am the Supreme Lord. I can show anyone My favor,
and I can chastise anyone, because no one is superior to Me. If I find someone
overpowered by false pride, in order to show him My causeless mercy, I withdraw all
his opulences.”
It is noteworthy that Kåñëa sometimes removes all opulences in order to facilitate a
rich man’s becoming a surrendered soul to Him. This is a special favor of the Lord’s.
Sometimes it is seen that a person is very opulent materially, but due to his
devotional service to the Lord, he may be reduced to poverty. One should not think,
however, that because he worshiped the Supreme Lord he became poverty-stricken.
The real purport is that when a person is a pure devotee, but at the same time, by
miscalculation, he wants to lord it over material nature, the Lord shows His special
mercy by taking away all material opulences until at last he surrenders unto the
Supreme Lord.
After instructing Indra, Lord Kåñëa asked him to return to his kingdom in the
heavenly planet and to remember always that he is never the supreme but is always
subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also advised him to remain
as King of heaven, but to be careful of false pride.
After this, the transcendental surabhi cow, who also come with Indra to see Kåñëa,
offered her respectful obeisances unto Him and worshiped Him. The surabhi offered
her prayer as follows. “My dear Lord Kåñëa, You are the most powerful of all mystic
yogés because You are the soul of the complete universe, and from You only all this
cosmic manifestation has taken place. Therefore, although Indra tried his best to kill
my descendant cows in Våndävana, they remained under Your shelter, and You have
protected them all so well. We do not know anyone else as the Supreme, nor do we
go to any other god or demigods for protection. Therefore, You are our Indra, You
are the Supreme Father of the whole cosmic manifestation, and You are the
protector and elevator of all the cows, brähmaëas, demigods and others who are pure
devotees of Your Lordship. O Supersoul of the universe, let us bathe You with our
milk because You are our Indra. O Lord, You appear just to diminish the burden of
impure activities on the earth.”
In this way, Kåñëa was bathed by the milk of the surabhi cows, and Indra was bathed
by the water of the celestial Ganges through the trunk of his carrier elephant. After
this, the heavenly king Indra, along with surabhi cows and all other demigods and
their mothers, worshiped Lord Kåñëa by bathing Him with Ganges water and the
milk of the surabhis. Thus Govinda, Lord Kåñëa, was pleased with all of them. The
residents of all higher planetary systems, such as Gandharvaloka, Pitåloka,
Siddhaloka, and Cäraëaloka, all combined and began to glorify the Lord by chanting
His holy name. Their wives and damsels began to dance with great joy. They very
much satisfied the Lord by incessantly pouring flowers from the sky. When
everything was very nicely and joyfully settled, the cows overflooded the surface of
the earth with their milk. The water of the rivers began to flow and give
nourishment to the trees, producing fruits and flowers of different colors and tastes.
The trees began to pour drops of honey. The hills and mountains began to produce
potent medicinal plants and valuable stones. Because of Kåñëa’s presence, all these
things happened very nicely, and the lower animals, who were generally envious,
were envious no longer.
After satisfying Kåñëa, who is the Lord of all the cows in Våndävana, who is known
as Govinda, King Indra took His permission to return to his heavenly kingdom. He
was surrounded by all kinds of demigods who passed with him through cosmic space.
This great incident is a powerful example of how Kåñëa consciousness can benefit
the world. Even the lower animals forget their envious nature and become elevated
to the qualities of the demigods.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-seventh Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Prayers by Indra, the King of Heaven.”
28 / Releasing Nanda Mahäräja from the Clutches
of Varuëa
The Govardhana ceremony took place on the new moon day. After this, there were
torrents of rain and hailstorms imposed by King Indra for seven days. Nine days of
the waxing moon having passed, on the tenth day King Indra worshiped Lord Kåñëa,
and thus the matter was satisfactorily settled. After this, on the eleventh day of the
full moon, there was Ekädaçé. Mahäräja Nanda observed fasting for the whole day,
and just early in the morning of the Dvädaçé, the day after Ekädaçé, he went to take
bath in the River Yamunä. He entered deep into the water of the river, but he was
arrested immediately by one of the servants of Varuëadeva. These servants brought
Nanda Mahäräja before the demigod Varuëa and accused him of taking a bath in the
river at the wrong time. According to astronomical calculations, the time in which
he took bath was considered demoniac. The fact was, Nanda Mahäräja wanted to
take a bath in the River Yamunä early in the morning before the sunrise, but
somehow or other he was a little too early, and he bathed at an inauspicious time.
Consequently he was arrested.
When Nanda Mahäräja was taken away by Varuëa’s servants, his companions began
to call loudly for Kåñëa and Balaräma. Immediately Kåñëa and Balaräma could
understand that Nanda Mahäräja was taken by Varuëa, and thus They went to the
abode of Varuëa, for They were pledged to give protection. The inhabitants of
Våndävana, the unalloyed devotees of the Lord, having no shelter other than the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, naturally cried to Him for help, exactly like
children who do not know anything but the protection of their parents. Demigod
Varuëa received Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma with great respect and said, “My dear
Lord, actually at this very moment, because of Your presence, I am materially
defeated. Although I am the proprietor of all the treasures in the water, I know that
such possessions do not make for a successful life. But this moment, as I look at You,
my life is made completely successful because by seeing You I no longer have to
accept a material body. Therefore, O Lord, Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Supreme Brahman and Supersoul of everything, let me offer my respectful
obeisances unto You. You are the supreme transcendental personality; there is no
possibility of imposing the influence of material nature upon You. I am very sorry
that by being foolish, by not knowing what to do or what not to do, I have
mistakenly arrested Your father, Nanda Mahäräja. So I beg Your pardon for the
offense of my servants. I think that it was Your plan to show me Your mercy by Your
personal presence here. My dear Lord Kåñëa, Govinda, be merciful upon me—here is
Your father. You can take him back immediately.”
In this way Lord Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, rescued His father and
presented him before his friends with great jubilation. Nanda Mahäräja was
surprised that, although the demigod was so opulent, he offered such respect to
Kåñëa. That was very astonishing to Nanda, and he began to describe the incident to
his friends and relatives with great wonder.
Actually, although Kåñëa was acting so wonderfully, Mahäräja Nanda and mother
Yaçodä could not think of Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Instead,
they always accepted Him as their beloved child. Thus Nanda Mahäräja did not
accept the fact that Varuëa worshiped Kåñëa because Kåñëa was the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; rather he took it that because Kåñëa was such a wonderful
child He was respected even by Varuëa. The friends of Nanda Mahäräja, all the
cowherd men, became eager to know if Kåñëa were actually the Supreme Personality
and if He were going to give them all salvation. When they were all thus consulting
among themselves, Kåñëa understood their minds, and in order to assure them of
their destiny in the spiritual kingdom, He showed them the spiritual sky. Generally,
ordinary persons are engaged simply in working hard in the material world, and they
have no information that there is another kingdom or another sky, which is known
as the spiritual sky, where life is eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge. As it is stated
in the Bhagavad-gétä, a person returning to that spiritual sky never returns to this
material world of death and suffering.
Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always anxious to give information to
the conditioned soul that there is a spiritual sky far, far beyond this material sky,
transcendental to the innumerable universes created within the total material
energy. Kåñëa is, of course, always very kind to every conditioned soul, but, as stated
in the Bhagavad-gétä, He is especially inclined to the devotees. Hearing their
inquiries, Kåñëa immediately thought that His devotees in Våndävana should be
informed of the spiritual sky and the Vaikuëöha planets therein. Within the
material world, every conditioned soul is in the darkness of ignorance. This means
that all conditioned souls are under the concept of this bodily existence.
Everyone is under the impression that he is of this material world, and with this
concept of life, everyone is working in ignorance in different forms of life. The
activities of the particular type of body are called karma, or fruitive action. All
conditioned souls under the impression of the bodily concept are working according
to their particular types of body. These activities are creating their future
conditional life. Because they have very little information of the spiritual world,
they do not generally take to spiritual activities, which are called bhakti-yoga. Those
who successfully practice bhakti-yoga, after giving up this present body, go directly
to the spiritual world and become situated in one of the Vaikuëöha planets. The
inhabitants of Våndävana are all pure devotees. Their destination after quitting the
body is Kåñëaloka. They even surpass the Vaikuëöhalokas. The fact is, those who are
always engaged in Kåñëa consciousness and mature, pure devotional service are given
the chance, after death, to gain Kåñëa’s association in the universes within the
material world. Kåñëa’s pastimes are continually going on, either in this universe or
in another universe. Just as the sun globe is passing through many places across this
earthly planet, so Kåñëa-lélä, or the transcendental advent and pastimes of Kåñëa, are
also going on continually, either in this or another universe. The mature devotees,
who have completely executed Kåñëa consciousness, are immediately transferred to
the universe where Kåñëa is appearing. In that universe the devotees get their first
opportunity to associate with Kåñëa personally and directly. The training goes on, as
we see in the Våndävana lélä of Kåñëa within this planet. Kåñëa therefore revealed
the actual feature of the Vaikuëöha planets so that the inhabitants of Våndävana
could know their destination.
Thus Kåñëa showed them the eternal ever-existing spiritual sky which is unlimited
and full of knowledge. Within this material world there are different gradations of
forms, and according to the gradations, knowledge is proportionately manifested. For
example, the knowledge in the body of a child is not as perfect as the knowledge in
the body of an adult man. Everywhere there are different gradations of living
entities, in aquatic animals, in the plants and trees, in the reptiles and insects, in
birds and beasts and in the civilized and uncivilized human forms of life. Above the
human form of life there are demigods, Cäraëas and Siddhas on up to Brahmaloka
where Lord Brahmä lives, and among these demigods there are always different
gradations of knowledge. But past this material world, in the Vaikuëöha sky,
everyone is in full knowledge. All the living entities there are engaged in devotional
service to the Lord, either in the Vaikuëöha planets or in Kåñëaloka.
As it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä, full knowledge means knowing Kåñëa to be
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Vedas and Bhagavad-gétä it is also
stated that in the brahmajyoti or spiritual sky there is no need of sunlight,
moonlight, or electricity. All those planets are self-illuminating, and all of them are
eternally situated. There is no question of creation and annihilation in the
brahmajyoti, spiritual sky. Bhagavad-gétä also confirms that beyond the material sky
there is another eternal spiritual sky where everything is eternally existing.
Information of the spiritual sky can be had only from great sages and saintly persons
who have already surpassed the influence of the three material modes of nature.
Unless one is constantly situated on that transcendental platform, it is not possible
to understand the spiritual nature.
Therefore it is recommended that one should take to bhakti-yoga and keep himself
engaged twenty-four hours in Kåñëa consciousness, which places one beyond the
reach of the modes of material nature. One in Kåñëa consciousness can easily
understand the nature of the spiritual sky and Vaikuëöhaloka. The inhabitants of
Våndävana, being always engaged in Kåñëa consciousness, could therefore very easily
understand the transcendental nature of the Vaikuëöhalokas.
Thus Kåñëa led all the cowherd men, headed by Nanda Mahäräja, to the lake where
Akrüra was later shown the Vaikuëöha planetary system. They took their bath
immediately and saw the real nature of the Vaikuëöhalokas. After seeing the
spiritual sky and the Vaikuëöhalokas, all the men, headed by Nanda Mahäräja, felt
wonderfully blissful, and coming out of the river, they saw Kåñëa, who was being
worshiped with excellent prayers.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-eighth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Releasing Nanda Mahäräja from the Clutches of Varuëa.”
29 / The Räsa Dance: Introduction
In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam it is stated the räsa dance took place on the full moon
night of the çarat season. From the statement of previous chapters, it appears that
the festival of Govardhana Püjä was performed just after the dark moon night of the
month of Kärttika, and thereafter the ceremony of Bhrätådvitéya was performed;
then the wrath of Indra was exhibited in the shape of torrents of rain and hailstorm,
and Lord Kåñëa held up Govardhana Hill for seven days, up until the ninth day of
the moon. Thereafter, on the tenth day, the inhabitants of Våndävana were talking
amongst themselves about the wonderful activities of Kåñëa, and the next day,
Ekädaçé was observed by Nanda Mahäräja. On the next day, Dvädaçé, Nanda
Mahäräja went to take bath in the Ganges and was arrested by the men of Varuëa;
then he was released by Lord Kåñëa. Then Nanda Mahäräja, along with the cowherd
men, was shown the spiritual sky.
In this way, the full moon night of the çarat season came to an end. The full mmoon
night of Äçvina is called çärad-pürëimä. It appears from the statement of Çrémad-
Bhägavatam that Kåñëa had to wait another year for such a moon before enjoying
the räsa dance with the gopés. At the age of seven years, He lifted Govardhana Hill.
Therefore, the räsa dance took place during His eighth year.
From Vedic literature it appears that when a theatrical actor dances among many
dancing girls, the group-dance is called a räsa dance. When Kåñëa saw the full moon
night of the çarat season, He decorated Himself with various seasonal flowers,
especially the mallikä flowers, which are very fragrant, He remembered the gopés’
prayers to goddess Kätyäyané, wherein they prayed for Kåñëa to be their husband. He
thought that the full night of the çarat season was just suitable for a nice dance. So
their desire to have Kåñëa as their husband would then be fulfilled.
The words used in this connection in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam are bhagavän api.
This means that although Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has no
desire that needs to be fulfilled because He is always full with six opulences. Yet He
wanted to enjoy the company of the gopés. Bhagavän api signifies that this is not like
the ordinary dancing of young boys and young girls. The specific word used in the
Çrémad-Bhägavatam is yogamäyäm upäçritaù, which means that this dancing with
the gopés is on the platform of yogamäyä, not mahämäyä. The dancing of young boys
and girls within this material world is in the kingdom of mahämäyä, or the external
energy. The räsa dance of Kåñëa with the gopés is on the platform of yogamäyä. The
difference between the platform of yogamäyä and mahämäyä is compared in the
Caitanya-caritämåta to the difference between gold and iron. From the viewpoint of
metallurgy, gold and iron are both metals, but the quality is completely different.
Similarly, although the räsa dance and Lord Kåñëa’s association with the gopés
appear like the ordinary mixing of young boys and girls, the quality is completely
different. The difference is appreciated by great Vaiñëavas because they can
understand the difference between love of Kåñëa and lust.
On the mahämäyä platform, dances take place on the basis of sense gratification. But
when Kåñëa called the gopés by sounding His flute, the gopés very hurriedly rushed
towards the spot of räsa dance with the transcendental desire of satisfying Kåñëa.
The author of Caitanya-caritämåta, Kåñëadäsa Kaviräja Gosvämé, has explained that
lust means sense gratification, and love also means sense gratification—but for
Kåñëa. In other words, when activities are enacted on the platform of personal sense
gratification, they are called material activities, but when they are enacted for the
satisfaction of Kåñëa, then they are spiritual activities. On any platform of activities,
the principle of sense gratification is there. But on the spiritual platform, sense
gratification is for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, whereas on the
material platform it is for the performer. For example, on the material platform,
when a servant serves a master, he is not trying to satisfy the senses of the master,
but rather his own senses. The servant would not serve the master if the payment
stopped. That means that the servant engages himself in the service of the master
just to satisfy his senses. On the spiritual platform, the servitor of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead serves Kåñëa without payment, and he continues his service
in all conditions. That is the difference between Kåñëa consciousness and material
consciousness.
It appears that Kåñëa enjoyed the räsa dance with the gopés when He was eight years
old. At that time, many of the gopés were married, because in India, especially in
those days, girls were married at a very early age. There are even many instances of a
girl giving birth to a child at the age of twelve. Under the circumstances, all the
gopés who wanted to have Kåñëa as their husband were already married. At the same
time, they continued to hope that Kåñëa would be their husband. Their attitude
toward Kåñëa was that of paramour love. Therefore, the loving affairs of Kåñëa with
the gopés is called parakéya-rasa. A married man or a wife who desires another wife
or husband is called parakéya-rasa.
Actually, Kåñëa is the husband of everyone because He is the supreme enjoyer. The
gopés wanted Kåñëa to be their husband, but factually there was no possibility of His
marrying all the gopés. But because they had that natural tendency to accept Kåñëa
as their supreme husband, the relationship between the gopés and Kåñëa is called
parakéya-rasa. This parakéya-rasa is ever-existent in Goloka Våndävana in the
spiritual sky where there is no possibility of the inebriety which characterizes
parakéya-rasa in the material world. In the material world, parakéya-rasa is
abominable, whereas in the spiritual world it is present in the superexcellent
relationship of Kåñëa and the gopés. There are many other relationships with Kåñëa:
master and servant, friends and friend, parent and son, and lover and beloved. Out
of all these rasas, the parakéya-rasa is considered to be the topmost.
This material world is the perverted reflection of the spiritual world; it is just like
the reflection of a tree on the bank of a reservoir of water: the topmost part of the
tree is seen as the lowest part. Similarly, parakéya-rasa, when pervertedly reflected in
this material world, is abominable. When people, therefore, imitate the räsa dance of
Kåñëa with the gopés, they simply enjoy the perverted, abominable reflection of the
transcendental parakéya-rasa. There is no possibility of enjoying this transcendental
parakéya-rasa within the material world. It is stated in Çrémad-Bhägavatam that one
should not imitate this parakéya-rasa even in dream or imagination. Those who do so
drink the most deadly poison.
When Kåñëa, the supreme enjoyer, desired to enjoy the company of the gopés on that
full moon night of the çarat season, exactly at that very moment, the moon, the lord
of the stars, appeared in the sky, displaying its most beautiful features. The full moon
night of the çarat season is the most beautiful night in the year. In Indian there is a
great monument called Taj Mahal in Agra, a city in the Uttar Pradesh province, and
the tomb is made of first-class marble stone. During the night of the full moon of the
çarat season, many foreigners go to see the beautiful reflections of the moon on the
tomb. Thus this full moon night is celebrated even today for its beauty.
When the full moon rose in the east, it tinged everything with a reddish color. With
the rising of the moon, the whole sky appeared smeared by red kuìkuma. When a
husband long separated from his wife returns home, he decorates the face of his wife
with red kuìkuma. This long-expected moonrise of the çarat season was thus
smearing the eastern sky.
The appearance of the moon increased Kåñëa’s desire to dance with the gopés. The
forests were filled with fragrant flowers. The atmosphere was cooling and festive.
When Lord Kåñëa began to blow His flute, the gopés all over Våndävana became
enchanted. Their attraction to the vibration of the flute increased a thousand times
due to the rising full moon, the red horizon, the calm and cool atmosphere, and the
blossoming flowers. All these gopés were by nature very much attracted to Kåñëa’s
beauty, and when they heard the vibration of His flute, they became apparently
lustful to satisfy the senses of Kåñëa.
Immediately upon hearing the vibration of the flute, they all left their respective
engagements and proceeded to the spot where Kåñëa was standing. While they ran
very swiftly, all their earrings swung back and forth. They all rushed toward the
place known as Vaàçévaöa. Some of them were engaged in milking cows, but they
left their milking business half finished and immediately went to Kåñëa. One of
them had just collected milk and put it in a milk pan on the oven to boil, but she did
not care whether the milk overboiled and spilled—she immediately left to go see
Kåñëa. Some of them were breast feeding their small babies, and some were engaged
in distributing food to the members of their families, but they left all such
engagements and immediately rushed towards the spot where Kåñëa was playing His
flute. Some were engaged in serving their husbands, and some were themselves
engaged in eating, but neither caring to serve their husbands nor eat, they
immediately left. Some of them wanted to decorate their faces with cosmetic
ointments and to dress themselves very nicely before going to Kåñëa, but
unfortunately they could not finish their cosmetic decorations nor put on their
dresses in the right way because of their anxiety to meet Kåñëa immediately. Their
faces were decorated hurriedly and were haphazardly finished; some even put the
lower part of their dresses on the upper part of their bodies and the upper part on
the lower part.
While all the gopés were hurriedly leaving their respective places, their husbands,
brothers and fathers were all struck with wonder to know where they were going.
Being young girls, they were protected either by husbands, elderly brothers or
fathers. All their guardians forbade them to go to Kåñëa, but they disregarded them.
When a person becomes attracted by Kåñëa and is in full Kåñëa consciousness, he
does not care for any worldly duties, even though very urgent. Kåñëa consciousness is
so powerful that it gives everyone relief from all material activities. Çréla Rüpa
Gosvämé has written a very nice verse wherein one gopé advises another, “My dear
friend, if you desire to enjoy the company of material society, friendship and love,
then please do not go to see this smiling boy Govinda, who is standing on the bank
of the Yamunä and playing His flute, His lips brightened by the beams of the full
moonlight.” Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé indirectly instructs that one who has been
captivated by the beautiful smiling face of Kåñëa has lost all attraction for material
enjoyments. This is the test of advancement in Kåñëa consciousness: a person
advancing in Kåñëa consciousness must lose interest in material activities and
personal sense gratification.
Some of the gopés were factually detained from going to Kåñëa by their husbands and
were locked up by force within their rooms. Being unable to go to Kåñëa, they began
to meditate upon His transcendental form by closing their eyes. They already had
the form of Kåñëa within their minds. They proved to be the greatest yogés; as is
stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, a person who is constantly thinking of Kåñëa within his
heart with faith and love is considered to be the topmost of all yogés. Actually, a yogi
concentrates his mind on the form of Lord Viñëu. That is real yoga. Kåñëa is the
original form of all Viñëu tattvas. The gopés could not go to Kåñëa personally, so they
began to meditate on Him as perfect yogés.
In the conditioned stage of the living entities, there are two kinds of results of
fruitive activities: the conditioned living entity who is constantly engaged in sinful
activities has suffering as his result, and he who is engaged in pious activities has
material enjoyment as a result. In either case—material suffering or material
enjoyment—the enjoyer or sufferer is conditioned by material nature.
The gopé associates of Kåñëa, who assemble in the place where Kåñëa is appearing,
are from different groups. Most of the gopés are eternal companions of Kåñëa. As
stated in the Brahma-saàhitä, änanda-cin-maya-rasa-pratibhävitäbhiù: in the
spiritual world the associates of Kåñëa, especially the gopés, are the manifestation of
the pleasure potency of Lord Kåñëa. They are expansions of Çrématé Rädhäräëé. But
when Kåñëa exhibits His transcendental pastimes within the material world in some
of the universes, not only the eternal associates of Kåñëa come, but also those who
are being promoted to that status from this material world. The gopés who joined
Kåñëa’s pastimes within this material world were coming from the status of ordinary
human beings. If they had been bound by fruitive action, they were fully freed from
the reaction of karma by constant meditation on Kåñëa. Their severe painful
yearnings caused by their not being able to see Kåñëa freed them from all sinful
reactions, and their ecstasy of transcendental love for Kåñëa in His absence was
transcendental to all their reactions of material pious activities. The conditioned
soul is subjected to birth and death, either by pious or sinful activities, but the gopés
who began to meditate on Kåñëa transcended both positions and became purified
and thus elevated to the status of the gopés already expanded by His pleasure
potency. All the gopés who concentrated their minds on Kåñëa in the spirit of
paramour love became fully uncontaminated from all the fruitive reactions of
material nature, and some of them immediately gave up their material bodies
developed under the three modes of material nature.
Mahäräja Parékñit heard Çukadeva Gosvämé explain the situation of the gopés who
assembled with Kåñëa in the räsa dance. When he heard that some of the gopés,
simply by concentrating on Kåñëa as their paramour, became freed from all
contamination of material birth and death, he said, “The gopés did not know that
Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They accepted Him as a beautiful boy
and considered Him to be their paramour. So how was it possible for them to get
freed from the material condition just by thinking of a paramour?” One should
consider here that Kåñëa and ordinary living beings are qualitatively one. The
ordinary living beings, being part and parcel of Kåñëa, are also Brahman, but Kåñëa is
the Supreme—Parabrahman. The question is, if it is possible for the devotee to get
free from the material, contaminated stage simply by thinking of Kåñëa, then why
not others who are also thinking of someone? If one is thinking of a husband or son,
or if anyone at all is thinking of another living entity, since all living entities are also
Brahman, then why are they not all freed from the contaminated stage of material
nature? This is a very intelligent question, because the atheists are always imitating
Kåñëa. In these days of Kaliyuga, there are many rascals who think themselves to be
as great as Kåñëa and who cheat people into believing that thinking of them is as
good as thinking of Lord Kåñëa. Parékñit Mahäräja, apprehending the dangerous
condition of blind followers of demonic imitators, therefore asked this question, and
fortunately it is recorded in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam to warn innocent people that
thinking of an ordinary man and thinking of Kåñëa are not the same.
Actually, even thinking of the demigods cannot compare with thinking of Kåñëa. It
is also warned in the Vaiñëava Tantra that one who puts Viñëu, Näräyaëa, or Kåñëa
on the same level of the demigods is called a päsaëòa, or a rascal. On hearing this
question of Mahäräja Parékñit, Çukadeva Gosvämé replied, “My dear King, your
question is already answered, even before this incident.”
Because Parékñit Mahäräja wanted to clear up the situation, his spiritual master
answered him very intelligently, “Why are you again asking the same subject matter
which has already been explained to you? Why are you so forgetful?” A spiritual
master is always in the superior position, so he has the right to chastise his disciple in
this way. Çukadeva Gosvämé knew that Parékñit Mahäräja asked the question not for
his own understanding, but as a warning to the future innocent people who might
think others to be equal to Kåñëa.
Çukadeva Gosvämé then reminded Parékñit Mahäräja about the salvation of Çiçupäla.
Çiçupäla was always envious of Kåñëa, and because of his envy Kåñëa killed him.
Since Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Çiçupäla gained salvation
simply by seeing Him. If an envious person can get salvation simply by concentrating
his mind on Kåñëa, then what to speak of the gopés who are so dear to Kåñëa and
always thinking of Him in love? There must be some difference between the enemies
and the friends. If Kåñëa’s enemies could get freed from material contamination and
become one with the Supreme, then certainly His dear friends like the gopés are
freed and with Him.
Besides that, in the Bhagavad-gétä Kåñëa is called Håñékeça. Çukadeva Gosvämé also
said that Kåñëa is Håñékeça, the Supersoul, whereas an ordinary man is a conditioned
soul covered by the material body. Kåñëa and Kåñëa’s body are the same because He
is Håñékeça. Any person making a distinction between Kåñëa and Kåñëa’s body is fool
number one. Kåñëa is Håñékeça and Adhokñaja. These two particular words have
been used by Parékñit Mahäräja in this instance. Håñékeça is the Supersoul, and
Adhokñaja is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, transcendental to the material
nature. Just to show favor to the ordinary living entities, out of His causeless mercy,
He appears as He is. Unfortunately, foolish persons mistake Him to be another
ordinary person, and so they become eligible to go to hell. Çukadeva Gosvämé
reconfirmed that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, imperishable,
immeasurable, and free from all material contamination.
Çukadeva Gosvämé continued to inform Mahäräja Parékñit that Kåñëa is not an
ordinary person. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full of all spiritual
qualities. He appears in this material world out of His causeless mercy, and whenever
He appears, He appears as He is without change. This is also confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gétä. There the Lord says that He appears in His spiritual potency. He does
not appear under the control of this material potency. The material potency is under
His control. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is stated that the material potency is working
under His superintendence. It is also confirmed in the Brahma-saàhitä that the
material potency known as Durgä is acting just as a shadow which moves with the
movement of the substance. The conclusion is that if one somehow or other becomes
attached to Kåñëa or attracted to Him, either because of His beauty, quality,
opulence, fame, strength, renunciation or knowledge, or even through lust, anger or
fear, or affection or friendship, then one’s salvation and freedom from material
contamination is assured.
In the Bhagavad-gétä, Eighteenth Chapter, the Lord also states that one who is
engaged in preaching Kåñëa consciousness is very dear to Him. A preacher has to
face many difficulties in his struggle to preach pure Kåñëa consciousness. Sometimes
he has to suffer bodily injuries, and sometimes he has to meet death also. All this is
taken as a great austerity on behalf of Kåñëa. Kåñëa therefore has said that such a
preacher is very, very dear to Him. If Kåñëa’s enemies can expect salvation simply by
concentrating their minds on Him, then what to speak of persons who are so dear to
Kåñëa? The conclusion should be that the salvation of those who are engaged in
preaching Kåñëa consciousness in the world is guaranteed in all circumstances. But
such preachers never care for salvation, because factually one who is engaged in
Kåñëa consciousness, devotional service, has already achieved salvation. Çukadeva
Gosvämé therefore assured King Parékñit that he should always rest assured that one
attracted by Kåñëa attains liberation from material bondage because Kåñëa is the
transcendental master of all mystic power.
When all the gopés assembled, as described, before Kåñëa, He began to speak to them,
welcoming them as well as discouraging them by word jugglery. Kåñëa is the supreme
speaker; He is the speaker of the Bhagavad-gétä. He can speak on the highest
elevated subjects of philosophy, politics, economics—everything. And He also spoke
before the gopés who were so dear to Him. He wanted to enchant them by word
jugglery, and thus He began to speak as follows.
“O ladies of Våndävana,” Kåñëa said. “You are very fortunate, and you are very dear
to Me. I am very pleased that you have come here, and I hope everything is well in
Våndävana. Now please order Me. What can I do for you? What is the purpose of
coming here in this dead of night? Kindly take your seats and let Me know what I
can do for you.”
The gopés had come to Kåñëa to enjoy His company, to dance with Him, embrace
Him and kiss Him, and when Kåñëa began to receive them very officially, showing
all kinds of etiquette, they were surprised. He was treating them as ordinary society
women. Therefore they began to smile among themselves, and they very eagerly
listened to Kåñëa talk in that way. When He saw that they were smiling at Him, He
said, “My dear friends, you must know now that it is the dead of night, and the forest
is very dangerous. At this time all the ferocious jungle animals, the tigers, bears,
jackals and wolves, are prowling in the forest. Therefore it is very dangerous for you.
You cannot select a secure place now. Everywhere you go you will find that all these
animals are loitering to find their prey. I think, therefore, that you are taking a great
risk in coming here in the dead of night. Please turn back immediately, without
delay.”
When He saw that they continued to smile, He said, “I very much appreciate your
bodily features. All of you have nice, very thin waists.” All of the gopés there were
exquisitely beautiful. They are described by the word sumadhyamä; the standard of
beauty of a woman is said to be sumadhyamä when the middle portion of the body is
slender.
Kåñëa wanted to impress on them that they were not old enough to take care of
themselves. Actually, they required protection. It was not very wise for them to come
in the dead of night to Kåñëa. Kåñëa also indicated that He was young and that they
were young girls. “It does not look very well for young girls and boys to remain
together in the dead of night.” After hearing this advice, the gopés did not seem very
happy; therefore Kåñëa began to stress the point in a different way.
“My dear friends, I can understand that you have left your homes without the
permission of your guardians; therefore I think your mothers, your fathers, your
elderly brothers or even your sons, and what to speak of your husbands, must be very
anxious to find you. As long as you are here, they must be searching in different
places, and their minds must be very agitated. So don’t tarry. Please go back and
make them peaceful.”
When the gopés appeared to be a little bit disturbed and angry from the free advice
of Kåñëa, they diverted their attention to looking at the beauty of the forest. At that
time the whole forest was illuminated by the bright shining of the moon, and the air
was blowing very silently over the blooming flowers, and the green leaves of the trees
were moving in the breeze. Kåñëa took the opportunity of their looking at the forest
to advise them. “I think you have come out to see the beautiful Våndävana forest on
this night,” He said, “but you must now be satisfied. So return to your homes without
delay. I understand that you are all very chaste women, so now that you have seen
the beautiful atmosphere of the Våndävana forests, please return home and engage
in the faithful service of your respective husbands. Some of you must have babies by
this time, although you are very young. You must have left your small babies at
home, and they must be crying. Please immediately go back home and just feed them
with your breast milk. I can also understand that you have very great affection for
Me, and out of that transcendental affection you have come here, hearing My
playing on the flute. Your feelings of love and affection for Me are very appropriate
because I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All living creatures are My parts
and parcels, and naturally they are affectionate to Me. So this affection for Me is
very much welcome, and I congratulate you for this. Now you can go back to your
homes. Another thing I must explain to you is that for a chaste woman, service to
the husband without duplicity is the best religious principle. A woman should be not
only faithful and chaste to the husband, but affectionate to the friends of her
husband, obedient to the father and mother of the husband, and affectionate to the
younger brothers of the husband. And most importantly, the woman must take care
of the children.”
In this way, Kåñëa explained the duty of a woman. He also stressed the point of
serving the husband: “Even if he is not of very good character, or even if he is not
very rich or fortunate, or even if he is old or invalid on account of continued
diseases, whatever her husband’s condition, a woman should not divorce her
husband if she actually desires to be elevated to the higher planetary systems after
leaving this body. Besides that, it is considered abominable in society if a woman is
unfaithful and goes searching for another man. Such habits will deter a woman from
being elevated to the heavenly planets, and the results of such habits are very
degrading. A married woman should not search for a paramour, for this is not
sanctioned by the Vedic principles of life. If you think that you are very much
attached to Me and you want My association, I advise you not to personally try to
enjoy Me. It is better for you to go home, simply talk about Me, think of Me, and by
this process of constantly remembering Me and chanting My names, you will surely
be elevated to the spiritual platform. There is no need to stand near Me. Please go
back home.”
The instruction given herein by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to the gopés
was not at all sarcastic. Such instructions should be taken very seriously by all honest
women. The chastity of women is specifically stressed herein by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Therefore this principle should be followed by any serious
woman who wants to be elevated to a higher status of life. Kåñëa is the center of all
affection for all living creatures. When this affection is developed for Kåñëa, then
one surpasses and transcends all Vedic injunctions. This was possible for the gopés
because they saw Kåñëa face to face. This is not possible for any women in the
conditioned state. Unfortunately, by imitating the behavior of Kåñëa with the gopés,
sometimes a rascal takes the position of Kåñëa, following the philosophy of monism
or oneness, and he very irresponsibly takes advantage of this räsa-lélä to entice many
innocent women and mislead them in the name of spiritual realization. As a
warning, Lord Kåñëa has herein hinted that what was possible for the gopés is not
possible for ordinary women. Although a woman can actually be elevated by
advanced Kåñëa consciousness, she should not be enticed by an imposter who says
that he is Kåñëa. She should concentrate her devotional activities in chanting and
meditating upon Kåñëa, as is advised herein. One should not follow the men called
sahajiyä, the so-called devotees who take everything very lightly.
When Kåñëa spoke in such a discouraging way to the gopés, they became very sad, for
they thought that their desire to enjoy räsa dance with Kåñëa would be frustrated.
Thus they became full of anxiety. Out of great sadness, the gopés began to breathe
very heavily. Instead of looking at Kåñëa face to face, they bowed their heads and
looked to the ground, and they began to draw various types of curved lines on the
ground with their toes. They were shedding heavy tears, and their cosmetic
decorations were being washed from their faces. The water from their eyes mixed
with the kuìkuma of their breasts and fell to the ground. They could not say
anything to Kåñëa, but simply stood there silently. By their silence they expressed
that their hearts were grievously wounded.
The gopés were not ordinary women. In essence they were on an equal level with
Kåñëa. They are His eternal associates. As it is confirmed in the Brahma-saàhitä,
they are expansions of the pleasure potency of Kåñëa, and as His potency they are
nondifferent from Him. Although they were depressed by the words of Kåñëa, they
did not like to use harsh words against Him. Yet they wanted to rebuke Kåñëa for His
unkind words, and therefore they began to speak in faltering voices. They did not
like to use harsh words against Kåñëa because He was their dearmost, their heart and
soul. The gopés had only Kåñëa within their hearts. They were completely
surrendered and dedicated souls. Naturally, when they heard such unkind words,
they tried to reply, but in the attempt torrents of tears fell from their eyes. Finally
they managed to speak.
“Kåñëa,” they said, “You are very cruel! You should not talk like that. We are fullfledged
surrendered souls. Please accept us, and don’t talk in that cruel way. Of
course, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and You can do whatever You
like, but it is not worthy of Your position to treat us in such a cruel way. We have
come to You, leaving everything behind, just to take shelter of Your lotus feet. We
know that You are completely independent and can do whatever You like, but we
request You, don’t reject us. We are Your devotees. You should accept us as Lord
Näräyaëa accepts His devotees. There are many devotees of Lord Näräyaëa who
worship Him for salvation, and He awards them salvation. Similarly, how can You
reject us when we have no other shelter than Your lotus feet?
“O dear Kåñëa,” they continued, “You are the supreme instructor. There is no doubt
about it. Your instructions to the women to be faithful to their husbands and to be
merciful to their children, to take care of homely affairs and to be obedient to the
elderly members of the family, are surely just according to the tenets of çästras. But
we know also that all these instructions of the çästras may be observed perfectly by
keeping oneself under the protection of Your lotus feet. Our husbands, friends,
family members and children are all dear and pleasing to us only because of Your
presence, for You are the Supersoul of all living creatures. Without Your presence,
one is worthless. When You leave the body, the body immediately dies, and
according to the injunction of the çästra, a dead body must immediately be thrown
in a river or burned. Therefore, ultimately You are the dearmost personality in this
world. By placing our faith and love in Your personality, there is no chance of our
being bereft of husband, friends, sons or daughters. If a woman accepts You as the
supreme husband, then she will never be bereft of her husband, as in the bodily
concept of life. If we accept You as our ultimate husband, then there is no question
of being separated, divorced or widowed. You are the eternal husband, eternal son,
eternal friend, and eternal master, and one who enters into a relationship with You
is eternally happy. Since You are the teacher of all religious principles, Your lotus
feet first have to be worshiped. Accordingly, the çästras state, äcärya-upäsanä: the
worship of Your lotus feet is the first principle. Besides that, as stated in the
Bhagavad-gétä, You are the only enjoyer, You are the only proprietor, and You are
the only friend. As such, we have come to You, leaving aside all so-called friends,
society and love, and now You have become our enjoyer. Let us be everlastingly
enjoyed by You. Be our proprietor, for that is Your natural claim, and be our supreme
friend, for You are naturally so. Let us thus embrace You as the supreme beloved.”
Then the gopés told the lotus-eyed Kåñëa, “Please do not discourage our longcherished
desires to have You as our husband. Any intelligent man who cares for his
own self-interest reposes all his loving spirit in You. Persons who are simply misled
by the external energy, who want to be satisfied by false concepts, try to enjoy
themselves apart from You. The so-called husband, friend, son, daughter, or father
and mother are all simply sources of material misery. No one is made happy in this
material world by having a so-called father, mother, husband, son, daughter and
friend. Although the father and mother are expected to protect the children, there
are many children who are suffering for want of food and shelter. There are many
good physicians, but when a patient dies, no physician can revive him. There are
many means of protection, but when one is doomed, none of the protective measures
can help, and without Your protection the so-called sources of protection simply
become sources of continued distress. We therefore appeal to You, dear Lord of all
lords, please do not kill our long-cherished desires to have You as our supreme
husband.
“Dear Kåñëa, as women, we are certainly satisfied when our hearts are engaged in the
activities of family affairs, but our hearts have already been stolen by You. We can
no longer engage them in family affairs. Besides that, You are asking us repeatedly to
return home, and that is a very appropriate instruction, but unfortunately we have
been stunned here. Our legs have no power to move a step from Your lotus feet.
Therefore, if even at Your request we return home, what shall we do there? We have
lost all our capacity to act without You. Instead of engaging our hearts in family
affairs as women, we have now developed a different type of lust which is
continually blazing in our hearts. Now we request You, dear Kåñëa, to extinguish
that fire with Your beautiful smile and the transcendental vibration emanating from
Your lips. If You do not agree to do us this favor, we shall certainly be burned in the
fire of separation. In that condition, we shall simply think of You and Your beautiful
features and give up our bodies immediately. In that way we think it will be possible
for us to reside at Your lotus feet in the next life. Dear Kåñëa, if You say that if we go
home our respective husbands will satisfy the lusty flame of our desire, we can only
say that that is no longer possible. You have given us a chance to be enjoyed by You
in the forest and have touched our breasts once in the past, which we accepted as a
blessing, as did the goddesses of fortune, who are enjoyed in the Vaikuëöhalokas by
You. Since we have tasted this transcendental enjoyment, we are no longer
interested in going to anyone but You for the satisfaction of our lust. Dear Kåñëa,
the lotus feet of the goddess of fortune are always worshiped by the demigods,
although she is always resting on Your chest in the Vaikuëöha planets. She
underwent great austerity and penance to have some shelter at Your lotus feet,
which are always covered by tulasé leaves. Your lotus feet are the proper shelter of
Your servitors, and the goddess of fortune, instead of abiding on Your chest, comes
down and worships Your lotus feet. We have now placed ourselves under the dust of
Your feet. Please do not reject us, for we are fully surrendered souls.
“Dear Kåñëa, You are known as Hari. You destroy all the miseries of all living
entities, specifically of those who have left their homes and family attachment and
have completely taken to You. We have left our homes with the hope that we shall
completely devote and dedicate our lives to Your service. We are simply begging to
be engaged as Your servants. We do not wish to ask You to accept us as Your wives.
Simply accept us as Your maidservants. Since You are the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and like to enjoy the parakéya-rasa and are famous as a transcendental
woman hunter, we have come to satisfy Your transcendental desires. We are also
after our own satisfaction, for simply by looking at Your smiling face we have
become very lusty. We have come before You decorated with all ornaments and
dress, but until You embrace us, all our dresses and beautiful features remain
incomplete. You are the Supreme Person, and if You complete our dressing attempt
as the puruña-bhüñaëa, or the male ornament, then all our desires and bodily
decorations are complete.
“Dear Kåñëa, we have simply been captivated by seeing You with tilaka and with
earrings and by seeing Your beautiful face covered with scattered hair and Your
extraordinary smile. Not only that, but we are also attracted by Your arms, which
always give assurance to the surrendered souls. And although we are also attracted
by Your chest, which is always embraced by the goddess of fortune, we do not wish to
take her position. We shall simply be satisfied by being Your maidservants. If You,
however, accuse us of encouraging prostitution, then we can only ask where is that
woman within these three worlds who is not captivated by Your beauty and the
rhythmic songs vibrated by Your transcendental flute? Within these three worlds
there is no distinction between men and women in relation to You because both
men and women belong to the marginal potency or prakåti. No one is actually the
enjoyer or the male; everyone is meant to be enjoyed by You. There is no woman
within these three worlds who cannot but deviate from her path of chastity once she
is attracted to You because Your beauty is so sublime that not only men and women,
but cows, birds, beasts and even trees, fruits and flowers—everyone and everything
—become enchanted, and what to speak of ourselves? It is, however, definitely
decided that as Lord Viñëu is always protecting the demigods from the onslaught of
demons, so You have also advented in Våndävana just to give the residents
protection from all kinds of distress. O dear friend of the distressed, kindly place
Your hand on our burning breasts as well as on our heads, because we have
surrendered unto You as Your eternal maidservants. If You think, however, that
Your lotus-like palms might be burned to ashes if placed on our burning breasts, let
us assure You that Your palms will feel pleasure instead of pain, as the lotus flower,
although very delicate and soft, enjoys the scorching heat of the sun.”
Upon hearing the anxious plea of the gopés, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
began to smile, and being very kind to the gopés, the Lord, although self-sufficient,
began to embrace them and kiss them as they desired. When Kåñëa, smiling, looked
at the faces of the gopés, the beauty of their faces became a hundred times enhanced.
When He was enjoying them in their midst, He appeared just like the full moon
surrounded by millions of shining stars. Thus the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
surrounded by hundreds of gopés and decorated with a flower garland of many colors,
began to wander within the Våndävana forest, sometimes singing to Himself and
sometimes singing with the gopés. In this way, both the Lord and the gopés reached
the cool sandy bank of the Yamunä where there were lilies and lotus flowers. In such
a transcendental atmosphere, both the gopés and Kåñëa began to enjoy one another.
While they were walking on the bank of the Yamunä, Kåñëa would sometimes put
His arms around a gopé’s head, breast or waist. Pinching one another and joking and
looking at one another, they enjoyed. When Kåñëa touched the bodies of the gopés,
their lust to embrace Him increased. They all enjoyed these pastimes. Thus the gopés
were blessed with all mercy by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for they
enjoyed His company without a tinge of mundane sex life.
The gopés, however, soon began to feel very proud, thinking themselves to be the
most fortunate women in the universe by being favored by the company of Kåñëa.
Lord Kåñëa, who is known as Keçava, could immediately understand their pride
caused by their great fortune of enjoying Him personally, and in order to show them
His causeless mercy and to curb their false pride, He immediately disappeared from
the scene, exhibiting His opulence of renunciation. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead is always full with six kinds of opulences, and this is an instance of the
opulence of renunciation. This renunciation confirms Kåñëa’s total nonattachment.
He is always self-sufficient and is not dependent on anything. This is the platform
on which the transcendental pastimes are enacted.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Twenty-ninth Chapter of Kåñëa, “The
Räsa Dance: Introduction.”
30 / Kåñëa’s Hiding from the Gopés
When Kåñëa suddenly disappeared from the company of the gopés, they began to
search for Him in every place. After not finding Him anywhere, they became afraid
and almost mad after Him. They were simply thinking of the pastimes of Kåñëa in
great love and affection. Being absorbed in thought, they experienced loss of
memory, and with dampened eyes they began to see the very pastimes of Kåñëa, His
beautiful talks with them, His embracing, kissing, and other activities. Being so
attracted to Kåñëa, they began to imitate His dancing, His walking and smiling, as if
they themselves were Kåñëa. Due to Kåñëa’s absence, they all became crazy; each one
of them began to tell the others that she was Kåñëa Himself. Soon they all began to
assemble together and chant Kåñëa’s name very loudly, and they moved from one
part of the forest to another searching for Him. Actually, Kåñëa is all-pervasive; He
is in the sky, and He is in the forest; He is within the heart, and He is always
everywhere.
The gopés therefore began to question the trees and plants about Kåñëa. There were
various types of big trees and small plants in the forest, and the gopés began to
address them. “Dear banyan tree, have you seen the son of Mahäräja Nanda passing
this way, laughing and playing on His flute? He has stolen our hearts and has gone
away. If you have seen Him, kindly inform us which way He has gone. Dear açoka
tree, dear näga flower tree and campaka flower tree, have you seen the younger
brother of Balaräma pass this way? He has disappeared because of our pride.” The
gopés were aware of the reason for Kåñëa’s sudden disappearance. They could
understand that when they were enjoying Kåñëa, they thought themselves to be the
most fortunate women within the universe, and since they were feeling proud, Kåñëa
disappeared immediately just to curb their pride. Kåñëa does not like His devotees to
be proud of their service to Him. He accepts everyone’s service, but He does not like
one devotee to be prouder than others. If sometimes there are such feelings, Kåñëa
ends them by changing His attitude toward the devotee.
The gopés then began to address the tulasé plants: “Dear tulasé, you are much beloved
by Lord Kåñëa because your leaves are always at His lotus feet. Dear mälaté flower,
dear mallikä flower, dear jasmine flower, all of you must have been touched by Kåñëa
while He was passing this way after giving us transcendental enjoyment. Have you
seen Mädhava passing this way? O mango trees, O trees of jack fruit, O pear trees
and äsana trees! O blackberries and bael trees and trees of kadamba flower—you are
all very pious trees to be living on the bank of Yamunä. Kåñëa must have passed
through this way. Will you kindly let us know which way He has gone?”
The gopés then looked upon the ground they were traversing and began to address
the earth, “Dear earthly planet, we do not know how many penances and austerities
you have undergone to be now living with the footprints of Lord Kåñëa upon you.
You are very jolly; the hairs on your body are these jubilant trees and plants. Lord
Kåñëa must have been very much pleased with you, otherwise how could He have
embraced you in the form of Varäha the boar? When you were submerged in water,
He delivered you, taking the whole weight of your existence on His tusks.”
After addressing the innumerable trees and plants, they turned their faces toward
the beautiful deer who were looking on them very pleasingly. “It appears,” they
addressed the deer, “that Kåñëa, who is the Supreme Näräyaëa Himself, must have
passed through this way along with His companion, Lakñmé, the goddess of fortune.
Otherwise, how is it possible that the aroma of His garland, which is smeared with
the red kuìkuma from the breast of the goddess of fortune, can be perceived in the
breeze blowing here? It appears that they must have passed through here and
touched your bodies, and thus you are feeling so pleasant and are looking toward us
with sympathy. Will you kindly, therefore, inform us which way Kåñëa has gone?
Kåñëa is the well-wisher of Våndävana. He is as kind to you as to us; therefore after
leaving us, He must have been present in your company. O fortunate trees, we are
thinking of Kåñëa, the younger brother of Balaräma. While passing through here,
with one hand resting on the shoulder of the goddess of fortune and the other hand
whirling a lotus flower, He must have been very pleased to accept your obeisances,
and He must have glanced at you with great pleasure.”
Some of the gopés then began to address their other gopé friends, “Dear friends, why
don’t you question these creepers who are so jubilantly embracing the big trees as if
the trees were their husbands? It appears that the flowers of the creepers must have
been touched by the nails of Kåñëa. Otherwise, how could they feel so jubilant?”
After searching for Kåñëa here and there, when the gopés became fatigued, they
began to talk like madwomen. They could only satisfy themselves by imitating the
different pastimes of Kåñëa. One of them imitated the demon, Pütanä, and one of
them imitated Kåñëa and sucked her breast. One gopé imitated a hand-driven cart,
and another gopé lay down beneath the cart and began to throw up her legs,
touching the wheels of the cart, as Kåñëa did to kill the demon Çakaöäsura. They
imitated child Kåñëa, lying down on the ground, and one gopé became the demon
Tåëävarta and carried the small child Kåñëa by force into the sky; and one of the
gopés began to imitate Kåñëa while He was attempting to walk, ringing His ankle
bells. Two gopés imitated Kåñëa and Balaräma, and many others imitated Their
cowherd boy friends. One gopé assumed the form of Bakäsura, and another forced
her to fall down as the demon Bakäsura did when he was killed; similarly, another
gopé defeated Vatsäsura. Just as Kåñëa used to call His cows by their different names,
so the gopés imitated Him, calling the cows by their respective names. One of the
gopés began to play on a flute, and another praised her the way Kåñëa’s boy friends
praised Him while He played on His flute. One of the gopés took another gopé on her
shoulders, just as Kåñëa used to take His boy friends. Absorbed in thoughts of Kåñëa,
the gopé who was carrying her friend began to boast that she was Kåñëa herself: “All
of you just see my movement!” One of the gopés raised her hand with her covering
garments and said, “Now don’t be afraid of torrents of rain and severe hurricanes. I’ll
save you!” In this way she imitated the lifting of Govardhana Hill. One gopé forcibly
put her feet on the head of another gopé and said, “You rascal Käliya! I shall punish
you severely. You must leave this place. I have descended on this earth to punish all
kinds of miscreants!” Another gopé told her friends, “Just see! The flames of the
forest fire are coming to devour us. Please close your eyes, and I shall immediately
save you from this imminent danger.”
In this way all the gopés were madly feeling the absence of Kåñëa. They enquired for
Him from the trees and plants. In some places they found the imprints of the marks
on the sole of His feet—namely the flag, the lotus flower, the trident, the
thunderbolt, etc. After seeing those footprints, they exclaimed, “O here is the
impression of the marks on the sole of Kåñëa. All the marks, such as the flag, the
lotus flower, the trident and the thunderbolt, are distinctly visible here.” They began
to follow the footprints, and shortly they saw another set of footprints beside them,
and immediately they became very sorry. “Dear friends, just see! Whose are these
other footprints? They are beside the footprints of the son of Mahäräja Nanda. It is
certainly Kåñëa passing through, resting His hand on some other gopé, exactly as an
elephant goes side by side with his beloved mate. We must, therefore, understand
that this particular gopé served Kåñëa with greater affectionate love than ourselves.
Because of this, although He has left us, He could not leave Her company. He has
taken Her along with Him. Dear friends, just imagine how the dust of this place is
transcendentally glorious. The dust of the lotus feet of Kåñëa is worshiped even by
Lord Brahmä and Lord Çiva, and the goddess of fortune, Lakñmé. But at the same
time, we are very sorry that this particular gopé has gone along with Kåñëa, for She is
sharing the nectar of Kåñëa’s kisses and leaving us aside to lament. O friends, just
see! At this particular spot we do not see the footprints of that gopé. It appears that
because there were some pin-pricks from the dried grass, Kåñëa took Rädhäräëé on
His shoulder. O, She is so dear to Him! Kåñëa must have picked some flowers in this
spot to satisfy Rädhäräëé, because here, where He stood erect to get the flowers from
the high branches of the tree, we find only half the impression of His feet. Dear
friends, just see how Kåñëa must have sat down here with Rädhäräëé and tried to set
flowers in Her hair. You can be certain that both of Them sat together here.” Kåñëa
is self-sufficient; He has nothing to enjoy from any other source, yet just to satisfy
His devotee He has treated Rädhäräëé exactly as a lusty boy treats his girlfriend.
Kåñëa is so kind that He always tolerates the disturbances created by His girl friends.
In this way, all the gopés began to point out the faults of the particular gopé who had
been taken alone by Kåñëa. They began to say that the chief gopé, Rädhäräëé, who
was taken alone by Kåñëa, must be very proud of Her position, thinking Herself the
greatest of the gopés. “Yet how could Kåñëa take Her away alone, leaving all of us
aside, unless She be extraordinarily qualified and beautiful? She must have taken
Kåñëa in the deep forest and told Him, ‘My dear Kåñëa, I am now very tired. I cannot
go any further. Please carry Me wherever You like.’ When Kåñëa was spoken to in
this way, He might have told Rädhäräëé, ‘All right, better get on My shoulder.’ But
immediately Kåñëa must have disappeared, and now Rädhäräëé must be lamenting
for Him, ‘My dear lover, My dearest, You are so fine and so powerful. Where have
You gone? I am nothing but Your most obedient maidservant. I am very much
aggrieved. Please come and be with Me again.’ Kåñëa, however, is not coming to Her.
He must be watching Her from a distant place and enjoying Her sorrow.”
All the gopés then went further and further into the forest, searching out Kåñëa, but
when they learned that actually Rädhäräëé was left alone by Kåñëa, they became
very sorry. This is the test of Kåñëa consciousness. In the beginning they were a little
envious that Kåñëa had taken Rädhäräëé alone, leaving aside all other gopés, but as
soon as they knew that Kåñëa had also left Rädhäräëé and that She was alone
lamenting for Him, they became more sympathetic to Her. The gopés found
Rädhäräëé and heard everything from Her, about how She misbehaved with Kåñëa
and how She was proud and was insulted for Her pride. After hearing all this, they
became actually very sympathetic. Then all the gopés, including Rädhäräëé, began to
proceed further into the forest, until they could no longer see the moonlight.
When they saw that it was getting gradually darker, they stopped. Their mind and
intelligence became absorbed in the thoughts of Kåñëa; they all imitated the
activities of Kåñëa and His speeches. Due to their heart and soul being completely
given to Kåñëa, they began to chant His glories, completely forgetting their family
interests. In this way, all the gopés assembled together on the bank of Yamunä, and
expecting that Kåñëa must return to them, they simply engaged in the chanting of
the glories of Çré Kåñëa—Hare Kåñëa, Hare Kåñëa, Kåñëa Kåñëa, Hare Hare, Hare
Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirtieth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kåñëa’s
Hiding from the Gopés.”
31 / Songs by the Gopés
One gopé said, “My dear Kåñëa, ever since You took Your birth in this land of
Vrajabhümi, everything appears to be glorious. The land of Våndävana has become
glorious, and it is as if the goddess of fortune is personally always existing here. But it
is only we who are very unhappy, because we are searching for You, but cannot see
You with our greatest effort. Our life is completely dependent upon You; therefore
we request that You again come to us.”
Another gopé said, “My dear Kåñëa, You are the life and soul even of the lotus flower
that grows on the water of lakes made transparent by the clear rains of autumn.
Although the lotus flowers are so beautiful, without Your glance they fade away.
Similarly, without You, we are also dying. Actually, we are neither Your wives nor
slaves. You never spent any money for us, yet we are simply attracted by Your glance.
Now, if we die without receiving Your glance, You’ll be responsible for our deaths.
Certainly the killing of women is a great sin, and if You do not come to see us and
we die, You will suffer the reactions of sin. So please come see us. Do not think that
one can be killed only by certain weapons. We are being killed by Your absence. You
should consider how You are responsible for killing women. We are always grateful
to You because You have protected us many times: from the poisonous water of
Yamunä, from the serpent Käliya, from Bakäsura, from the anger of Indra and his
torrents of rain, from forest fire and so many other incidents. You are the greatest
and most powerful of all. It is wonderful for You to protect us from so many dangers,
but we are surprised that You are neglecting us at this moment. “Dear Kåñëa, dear
friend, we know very well that You are not actually the son of mother Yaçodä or the
cowherd man Nanda Mahäräja. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead and
the Supersoul of all living entities. You have, out of Your own causeless mercy,
appeared in this world, requested by Lord Brahmä for the protection of the world. It
is by Your kindness only that You have appeared in the dynasty of Yadu. O best in
the dynasty of Yadu, if anyone afraid of this materialistic way of life takes shelter at
Your lotus feet, You never deny him protection. Your movements are sweet, and You
are independent, touching the goddess of fortune with one hand and in the other
bearing a lotus flower. That is Your extraordinary feature. Please, therefore, come
before us and bless us with the lotus flower in Your hand.
“Dear Kåñëa, You are the killer of all the fears of the inhabitants of Våndävana. You
are the supremely powerful hero, and we know that You can kill the unnecessary
pride of Your devotee as well as the pride of women like us simply by Your beautiful
smile. We are simply Your maidservants and slaves; please, therefore, accept us by
showing us Your lotus-like beautiful face.
“Dear Kåñëa, actually we have become very lusty, having been touched by Your lotus
feet. Your lotus feet certainly kill all kinds of sinful activities of devotees who have
taken shelter there. You are so kind that even the ordinary animals take shelter
under Your lotus feet. Your lotus feet are also the residence of the goddess of
fortune, yet You dance on the head of the Käliya serpent with them. Now we are
requesting You to kindly place Your lotus feet on our breasts and pacify our lusty
desires to touch You.
“O Lord, Your attractive eyes, like the lotus, are so nice and pleasing. Your sweet
words are so fascinating that they please even the greatest scholars, who also become
attracted to You. We are also attracted by Your speaking and by the beauty of Your
face and eyes. Please, therefore, satisfy us by Your nectarean kisses. Dear Lord, words
spoken by You or words describing Your activities are full of nectar, and simply by
speaking or hearing Your words one can be saved from the blazing fire of material
existence. Great demigods like Lord Brahmä and Lord Çiva are always engaged in
chanting the glories of Your words. They do so to eradicate the sinful activities of all
living entities in the material world. If one simply tries to hear Your transcendental
words, he can very quickly be elevated to the platform of pious activities. For the
Vaiñëavas, Your words give transcendental pleasure, and saintly persons who are
engaged in distributing Your transcendental message all over the world are first-class
charitable persons.” (This was confirmed by Rüpa Gosvämé also when he addressed
Lord Caitanya as the most munificent incarnation because Lord Caitanya
distributed the words of Kåñëa and love of Kåñëa free of charge all over the world.)
“Dear Kåñëa,” the gopés continued, “You are very cunning. You can imagine how
much we are distressed simply by remembering Your cunning smile, Your pleasing
glance, Your walking with us in the forest of Våndävana, and Your auspicious
meditations. Your talks with us in lonely places were heart-warming. Now we are all
aggrieved to remember Your behavior. Please save us. Dear Kåñëa, certainly You
know how much we are saddened when You go out of Våndävana village to tend the
cows in the forest. How we are afflicted simply to think that Your soft lotus feet are
being pricked by the dry grass and the tiny stones in the forest! We are so attached
to You that we always think simply of Your lotus feet.
“O Kåñëa, when You return from the pasturing ground with the animals, we see Your
face covered by Your curly hair and dusted by the hoof-dust of the cows. We see
Your mildly smiling face, and our desire to enjoy You increases. O dear Kåñëa, You
are the supreme lover, and You always give shelter to surrendered souls. You fulfill
everyone’s desire; Your lotus feet are even worshiped by Lord Brahmä, the creator of
the universe. To whomever worships Your lotus feet, You without a doubt always
bestow Your benedictions. So kindly be pleased with us and keep Your lotus feet on
our breasts and thus relieve our present distresses. Dear Kåñëa, we are seeking Your
kisses which You offer even to Your flute. The vibration of Your flute enchants the
whole world and our hearts also. Kindly, therefore, return and kiss us with Your
mouth of nectar.”
When Lord Kåñëa finally reappeared and assembled with the gopés, He looked very
beautiful, just befitting a person with all kinds of opulences. In the Brahma-saàhitä,
it is stated, änanda-cin-maya-rasa-pratibhävitäbhiù: Kåñëa alone is not particularly
beautiful, but when His energy—especially His pleasure energy, represented by
Rädhäräëé—expands, He looks very magnificent. The Mäyävada conception of the
perfection of the Absolute Truth without potency is due to insufficient knowledge.
Actually, outside the exhibition of His different potencies, the Absolute Truth is not
complete. Änanda-cin-maya-rasa means that His body is a transcendental form of
eternal bliss and knowledge. Kåñëa is always surrounded by different potencies, and
therefore He is perfect and beautiful. We understand from Brahma-saàhitä and
Skanda Puräëa that Kåñëa is always surrounded by many thousands of goddesses of
fortune. The gopés are all goddesses of fortune, and Kåñëa took them hand in hand
on the bank of the Yamunä.
It is said in the Skanda Puräëa that out of many thousands of gopés, 16,000 are
predominant; out of those 16,000 gopés, 108 gopés are especially prominent; and out
of 108 gopés, eight gopés are still more prominent; out of eight gopés, Rädhäräëé and
Candrävalé are prominent; and out of these two gopés, Rädhäräëé is the most
prominent.
When Kåñëa entered the forest on the bank of the Yamunä, the moonlight
dissipated the surrounding darkness. Due to the season, flowers like the kunda and
kadamba were blooming, and a gentle breeze was carrying their aroma. Due to the
aroma, the bees were also flying in the breeze, thinking that the aroma was honey.
The gopés made a seat for Kåñëa by leveling the soft sand and placing cloths over it.
The gopés who were gathered there were mostly all followers of the Vedas. In their
previous births, during Lord Rämacandra’s advent, they were Vedic scholars who
desired the association of Lord Rämacandra in conjugal love. Rämacandra gave them
the benediction that they would be present for the advent of Lord Kåñëa, and He
would fulfill their desires. During Kåñëa’s advent, the Vedic scholars took birth in
the shape of the gopés in Våndävana; as young gopés, they got the association of
Kåñëa in fulfillment of their previous births’ desire. The ultimate goal of their
perfect desire was attained, and they were so joyous that they had nothing further to
desire. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä: if one attains the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, then he has no desire for anything. When the gopés had
Kåñëa in their company, not only all their grief, but their lamenting in the absence
of Kåñëa was relieved. They felt they had no desire to be fulfilled. Fully satisfied in
the company of Kåñëa, they spread their cloths on the ground. These garments were
made of fine linen and smeared with the red kuìkuma which decorated their breasts.
With great care they spread a sitting place for Kåñëa. Kåñëa was their life and soul,
and they created a very comfortable seat for Him.
Sitting on the seat amongst the gopés, Kåñëa became more beautiful. Great yogés like
Lord Çiva, Lord Brahmä or even Lord Çeña and others always try to fix their
attention upon Kåñëa in their heart, but here the gopés actually saw Kåñëa seated
before them on their cloths. In the society of the gopés, Kåñëa looked very beautiful.
They were the most beautiful damsels within the three worlds, and they assembled
together around Kåñëa.
It may be asked herein how Kåñëa seated Himself beside so many gopés and yet sat
alone. There is a significant word in this verse: éçvara. As it is stated in the
Bhagavad-gétä, éçvaraù sarva-bhütänam. Éçvara refers to the Supreme Lord as the
Supersoul seated in everyone’s heart. Kåñëa also manifested this potency of
expansion as Paramätmä in this gathering with the gopés. Kåñëa was sitting by the
side of each gopé, unseen by the others. Kåñëa was so kind to the gopés that instead of
sitting in their hearts to be appreciated in yogic meditation, He seated Himself by
their sides. By seating Himself outside, He showed special favor to the gopés, who
were the selected beauties of all creation. Having gotten their most beloved Lord,
the gopés began to please Him by moving their eyebrows and smiling and also by
suppressing their anger. Some of them took His lotus feet in their laps and began to
massage Him. And while smiling, they confidentially expressed their suppressed
anger and said, “Dear Kåñëa, we are ordinary women of Våndävana, and we do not
know much about Vedic knowledge—what is right and what is wrong. We therefore
put a question to You, and, since You are very learned, You can answer it properly.
In dealing between lovers, we find that there are three classes of men. One class
simply receives, another class reciprocates favorably, even if the lover is very
contrary, and the third class neither acts contrary nor answers favorably in dealings
of love. So out of these three classes, which do You prefer, or which do You call
honest?”
In answer, Kåñëa said, “My dear friends, persons who simply reciprocate the loving
dealings of the other party are just like merchants. They give in loving affairs as
much as they get from the other party. Practically there is no question of love. It is
simply business dealing, and it is self-interested or self-centered. Better the second
class of men, who love in spite of the opposite party’s contrariness; even those
without a tinge of loving affairs are better than the merchants. Sincere love can be
seen when the father and mother love their children in spite of their children’s
neglect. The third class neither reciprocates nor neglects. They can be further
divided into two classes. One is the self-satisfied, who do not require anyone’s love.
They are called ätmäräma, which means they are absorbed in the thought of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead and so do not care whether one loves them or not.
But another class are ungrateful men. They are called callous. The men in this group
revolt against superior persons. For instance, a son, in spite of receiving all kinds of
things from loving parents, may be callous and not reciprocate. Those in this class
are generally known as gurudruha, which means they receive favors from the parents
or the spiritual master and yet neglect them.”
Kåñëa indirectly answered the questions of the gopés, even those questions which
implied that Kåñëa did not properly receive their dealings. In answer, Kåñëa said that
He, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is self-satisfied. He does not require
anyone’s love, but at the same time He said that He is not ungrateful.
“My dear friends,” Kåñëa continued, “you might be aggrieved by My words and acts,
but you must know that sometimes I do not reciprocate My devotees’ dealings with
Me. It appears that My devotees are very much attached to Me, but sometimes I do
not reciprocate their feelings properly in order to increase their love for Me more
and more. If I can very easily be approached by them, they might think, ‘Kåñëa is so
easily available.’ So sometimes I do not respond. If a person has no money but after
some time accumulates some wealth and then loses it, he will think of the lost
property twenty-four hours a day. Similarly, in order to increase the love of My
devotees, sometimes I appear to be lost to them, and instead of forgetting Me, they
feel their loving sentiments for Me increase. My dear friends, do not think for a
moment that I have been dealing with you just like ordinary devotees. I know what
you are. You have forsaken all kinds of social and religious obligations; you have
given up all connection with your parents. Without caring for social convention and
religious obligations, you have come to Me and loved Me, and I am so much obliged
to you that I cannot treat you as ordinary devotees. Do not think that I was away
from you. I was near to you. I was simply seeing how much you were anxious for Me
in My absence. So please do not try to find fault in Me. Because you consider Me so
dear to you, kindly excuse Me if I have done anything wrong. I cannot repay your
continual love for Me, even throughout the lifetimes of the demigods in the
heavenly planets. It is impossible to repay you or show gratitude for your love;
therefore please be satisfied by your own pious activities. You have displayed
exemplary attraction for Me, overcoming the greatest difficulties arising from family
connections. Please be satisfied with your highly exemplary character, for it is not
possible for Me to repay your debt.”
The exemplary character of devotional service manifested by the devotees of
Våndävana is the purest type of devotion. It is enjoined in authoritative çästra that
devotional service must be ahaituka and apratihata. This means that devotional
service to Kåñëa cannot be checked by political or religious convention. The stage of
devotional service is always transcendental. The gopés particularly showed pure
devotional service towards Kåñëa, so much so that Kåñëa Himself remained indebted
to them. Lord Caitanya thus said that the devotional service manifested by the gopés
in Våndävana excelled all other methods of approaching the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-first Chapter of Kåñëa, “Songs by
the Gopés.”
KB 1970-1-32 / Description of the Räsa Dance
32 / Description of the Räsa Dance
Thus hearing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, speaking to pacify them,
the gopés became very much pleased. And not only by hearing His words, but also by
touching the hands and legs of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they became
completely relieved from the great suffering of separation. After this, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead began His räsa dance. When one dances in the midst of
many girls, it is called a räsa dance. So Kåñëa began to dance among the most
beautiful and fortunate girls within the three worlds. The gopés of Våndävana, who
were so attracted to Him, danced with Kåñëa, hand in hand.
Kåñëa’s räsa dance should never be compared with any kind of material dance, such
as a ball dance or a society dance. The räsa dance is a completely spiritual
performance. In order to establish this fact, Kåñëa, the supreme mystic, expanded
Himself in many forms and stood beside each gopé. Placing His hands on the
shoulders of the gopés on both sides of Him, He began to dance in their midst. The
mystic expansions of Kåñëa were not perceived by the gopés because Kåñëa appeared
alone to each of them. Each gopé thought that Kåñëa was dancing with her alone.
Above that wonderful dance flew many airplanes carrying the denizens of the
heavenly planets, who were very anxious to see the wonderful dance of Kåñëa with
the gopés. The Gandharvas and the Kinnaras began to sing, and, accompanied by
their respective wives, all the Gandharvas began to shower flowers on the dancers.
As the gopés and Kåñëa danced together, a very blissful musical sound was produced
from the tinkling of their bells, ornaments and bangles. It appeared that Kåñëa was a
greenish sapphire locket in the midst of a golden necklace decorated with valuable
stones. While Kåñëa and the gopés danced they displayed extraordinary bodily
features. The movements of their legs, their placing their hands on one another, the
movements of their eyebrows, their smiling, the movements of the breasts of the
gopés and their clothes, their earrings, their cheeks, their hair with flowers—as they
sang and danced these combined together to appear like clouds, thunder, snow and
lightning. Kåñëa’s bodily features appeared just like a group of clouds, their songs
were like thunder, the beauty of the gopés appeared to be just like lightning in the
sky, and the drops of perspiration visible on their faces appeared like falling snow. In
this way, both the gopés and Kåñëa fully engaged in dancing.
The necks of the gopés became tinted with red due to their desire to enjoy Kåñëa
more and more. To satisfy them, Kåñëa began to clap His hands in time with their
singing. Actually the whole world is full of Kåñëa’s singing, but it is appreciated in
different ways by different kinds of living entities. This is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gétä: ye yathä mäà prapadyante. Kåñëa is dancing, and every living entity
is also dancing, but there is a difference in the dancing in the spiritual world and in
the material world. This is expressed by the author of Caitanya-caritämåta, who says
that the master dancer is Kåñëa and everyone is His servant. Everyone is trying to
imitate Kåñëa’s dancing. Those who are actually in Kåñëa consciousness respond
rightly to the dancing of Kåñëa: they do not try to dance independently. But those in
the material world try to imitate Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The
living entities are dancing under the direction of Kåñëa’s mäyä and are thinking that
they are equal to Kåñëa. But this is not a fact. In Kåñëa consciousness, this
misconception is absent, for a person in Kåñëa consciousness knows that Kåñëa is the
supreme master and everyone is His servant. One has to dance to please Kåñëa, not
to imitate or to become equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The gopés
wanted to please Kåñëa, and therefore as Kåñëa sang, they responded and encouraged
Him by saying, “Well done, well done.” Sometimes they presented beautiful music for
His pleasure, and He responded by praising their singing.
When some of the gopés became very tired from dancing and moving their bodies,
they placed their hands on the shoulders of Çré Kåñëa. Then their hair loosened and
flowers fell to the ground. When they placed their hands on Kåñëa’s shoulder they
became overwhelmed by the fragrance of His body which emanated from the lotus,
other aromatic flowers, and the pulp of sandalwood. They became filled with
attraction for Him, and they began to kiss one another. Some gopés touched Kåñëa
cheek to cheek, and Kåñëa began to offer them chewed betel nuts from His mouth,
which they exchanged with great pleasure by kissing. And by accepting those betel
nuts, the gopés spiritually advanced.
The gopés became tired after long singing and dancing. Kåñëa was dancing beside
them, and to alleviate their fatigue they took Çré Kåñëa’s hand and placed it on their
raised breasts. Kåñëa’s hand, as well as the breasts of the gopés, are eternally
auspicious; therefore when they combined, both of them became spiritually
enhanced. The gopés so enjoyed the company of Kåñëa, the husband of the goddess
of fortune, that they forgot that they had any other husband in the world, and upon
being embraced by the arms of Kåñëa and dancing and singing with Him, they forgot
everything. The Çrémad-Bhägavatam thus describes the beauty of the gopés while
they were räsa dancing with Kåñëa. There were lotus flowers over both their ears,
and their faces were decorated with sandalwood pulp. They wore tilaka, and there
were drops of sweat on their smiling mouths. From their feet came the tinkling
sound of ankle bells as well as bangles. The flowers within their hair were falling to
the lotus feet of Kåñëa, and He was very satisfied.
As stated in the Brahma-saàhitä, all these gopés are expansions of Kåñëa’s pleasure
potency. Touching their bodies with His hands and looking at their pleasing eyes,
Kåñëa enjoyed the gopés exactly as a child enjoys playing with the reflection of his
body in a mirror. When Kåñëa touched the different parts of their bodies, the gopés
felt surcharged with spiritual energy. They could not adjust their loosened clothes,
although they tried to keep them properly. Their hair and garments became
scattered, and their ornaments loosened as they forgot themselves in company with
Kåñëa.
While Kåñëa was enjoying the company of the gopés in the räsa dance, the
astonished demigods and their wives gathered in the sky. The moon, being afflicted
with a sort of lust, began to watch the dance and became stunned with wonder. The
gopés had prayed to the goddess Kätyäyané to have Kåñëa as their husband. Now
Kåñëa was fulfilling their desire by expanding Himself in as many forms as there
were gopés and enjoying them exactly as a husband.
Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé has remarked that Kåñëa is self-sufficient—He is ätmäräma.
He doesn’t need anyone else for His satisfaction. Because the gopés wanted Kåñëa as
their husband, He fulfilled their desire. When Kåñëa saw that the gopés were tired
from dancing with Him, He immediately began to smear His hands over their faces
so that their fatigue would be satiated. In order to reciprocate the kind hospitality of
Kåñëa, the gopés began to look at Him lovingly. They were overjoyed by the
auspicious touch of the hand of Kåñëa. Their smiling cheeks shone with beauty, and
they began to sing the glories of Kåñëa with transcendental pleasure. As pure
devotees, the more the gopés enjoyed Kåñëa’s company, the more they became
enlightened with His glories, and thus they reciprocated with Him. They wanted to
satisfy Kåñëa by glorifying His transcendental pastimes. Kåñëa is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the master of all masters, and the gopés wanted to worship
Him for His unusual exhibition of mercy upon them.
Both the gopés and Kåñëa entered the water of the Yamunä just to relieve their
fatigue from the räsa dance. The lily flower garlands around the necks of the gopés
were strewn to pieces due to their embracing the body of Kåñëa, and the flowers were
reddish from being smeared with the kuìkuma on their breasts. The bumblebees
were humming about in order to get honey from the flowers. Kåñëa and the gopés
entered the water of Yamunä just as an elephant enters a water tank with his many
female companions. Both the gopés and Kåñëa forgot their real identity, playing in
the water, enjoying each others’ company and relieving the fatigue of räsa dancing.
The gopés began to splash water on the body of Kåñëa, all the while smiling, and
Kåñëa enjoyed this. As Kåñëa was taking pleasure in the joking words and splashing
water, the demigods in the heavenly planets began to shower flowers. The demigods
thus praised the superexcellent räsa dance of Kåñëa, the supreme enjoyer, and His
pastimes with the gopés in the water of Yamunä.
After this, Lord Kåñëa and the gopés came out of the water and began to stroll along
the bank of the Yamunä, where a nice breeze was blowing, carrying the aroma of
different kinds of flowers over the water and land. While strolling on the bank of
the Yamunä, Kåñëa recited various kinds of poetry. He thus enjoyed the company of
the gopés in the soothing moonlight of autumn.
Sex desire is especially excited in the autumn season, but the wonderful thing about
Kåñëa’s association with the gopés is that there was no question of sex desire. It was,
as clearly stated in the Bhägavata description by Çukadeva Gosvämé, avaruddhasaurataù,
namely the sex impulse was completely controlled. There is a distinction
between Lord Kåñëa’s dancing with the gopés and the ordinary dancing of living
entities within the material world. In order to clear up further misconceptions about
the räsa dance and the affairs of Kåñëa and the gopés, Mahäräja Parékñit, the hearer
of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, told Çukadeva Gosvämé, “Kåñëa appeared on the earth to
establish the regulative principles of religion and to curb the predominance of
irreligion. But the behavior of Kåñëa and the gopés might encourage irreligious
principles in the material world. I am simply surprised that He would act in such a
way, enjoying the company of others’ wives in the dead of night.” This statement of
Mahäräja Parékñit’s was very much appreciated by Çukadeva Gosvämé. The answer
anticipates the abominable acts of the Mäyävädé impersonalists who place
themselves in the position of Kåñëa and enjoy the company of young girls and
women.
The basic Vedic injunctions never allow a person to enjoy sex with any woman
except one’s own wife. Kåñëa’s appreciation of the gopés appeared to be distinctly in
violation of these rules. Mahäräja Parékñit understood the total situation from
Çukadeva Gosvämé, yet to further clear the transcendental nature of Kåñëa and the
gopés in räsa dance, he expressed his surprise. This is very important in order to
check the unrestricted association with women by the prakåta-sahajiyä.
In his statement, Mahäräja Parékñit has used several important words which require
clarification. The first word, jugupsitam, means abominable. The first doubt of
Mahäräja Parékñit was as follows: Lord Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead
who has advented Himself to establish religious principles. Why then did He mix
with others’ wives in the dead of night and enjoy dancing, embracing and kissing?
According to the Vedic injunctions, this is not allowed. Also, when the gopés first
came to Him, He gave instructions to them to return to their homes. To call the
wives of other persons or young girls and enjoy dancing with them is certainly
abominable according to the Vedas. Why should Kåñëa have done this?
Another word used here is äptakäma. Some may take it for granted that Kåñëa was
very lusty among young girls, but Parékñit Mahäräja said that this was not possible.
He could not be lusty. First of all, from the material calculation He was only eight
years old. At that age a boy cannot be lusty. Äptakäma means that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead is self-satisfied. Even if He were lusty, He doesn’t need to
take help from others to satisfy His lusty desires. The next point is that, although not
lusty Himself, He might have been induced by the lusty desires of the gopés. But
Mahäräja Parékñit then used another word, yadu-pati, which indicates that Kåñëa is
the most exalted personality in the dynasty of the Yadus. The kings in the dynasty of
Yadu were considered to be the most pious, and their descendants were also like that.
Having taken birth in that family, how could Kåñëa have been induced, even by the
gopés? It is concluded, therefore, that it was not possible for Kåñëa to do anything
abominable. But Mahäräja Parékñit was in doubt as to why Kåñëa acted in that way.
What was the real purpose?
Another word Mahäräja Parékñit used when he addressed Çukadeva Gosvämé is
suvrata, which means to take a vow to enact pious activities. Çukadeva Gosvämé was
an educated brahmacäré, and under the circumstances, it was not possible for him to
indulge in sex. This is strictly prohibited for brahmacärés, and what to speak of a
brahmacäré like Çukadeva Gosvämé. But because the circumstances of the räsa dance
were very suspect, Mahäräja Parékñit inquired for clarification from Çukadeva
Gosvämé. Çukadeva Gosvämé immediately replied that transgressions of religious
principles by the supreme controller testify to His great power. For example, fire can
consume any abominable thing; that is the manifestation of the supremacy of fire.
Similarly, the sun can absorb water from a urinal or from stool, and the sun is not
polluted; rather, due to the influence of sunshine, the polluted, contaminated place
becomes disinfected and sterilized.
One may also argue that since Kåñëa is the supreme authority, His activities should
be followed. In answer to this question, Çukadeva Gosvämé has very clearly said that
éçvaraëam, or the supreme controller, may sometimes violate His instructions, but
this is only possible for the controller Himself, not for the followers. Unusual and
uncommon activities by the controller can never be imitated. Çukadeva Gosvämé
warned that the conditioned followers, who are not actually in control, should never
even imagine imitating the uncommon activities of the controller. A Mäyävädé
philosopher may falsely claim to be God or Kåñëa, but he cannot actually act like
Kåñëa. He can persuade his followers to falsely imitate räsa dance, but he is unable to
lift Govardhana Hill. We have many experiences in the past of Mäyävädé rascals
deluding their followers by posing themselves as Kåñëa in order to enjoy räsa-lélä. In
many instances they were checked by the government, arrested and punished. In
Orissa, Öhäkur Bhaktivinode also punished a so-called incarnation of Viñëu, who
was imitating räsa-lélä with young girls. There were many complaints against him. At
that time, Bhaktivinode Öhäkur was magistrate, and the government deputed him to
deal with that rascal, and he punished him very severely. The räsa-lélä dance cannot
be imitated by anyone. Çukadeva Gosvämé warns that one should not even think of
imitating it. He specifically mentions that if, out of foolishness, one tries to imitate
Kåñëa’s räsa dance, he will be killed, just like a person who wants to imitate Lord
Çiva’s drinking of an ocean of poison. Lord Çiva drank an ocean of poison and kept it
within his throat. The poison made his throat turn blue; and therefore Lord Çiva is
called Nélakaëöa. But if any ordinary person tries to imitate Lord Çiva by drinking
poison or smoking gaïja, he is sure to be vanquished and will die within a very short
time. Lord Çré Kåñëa’s dealing with the gopés was under special circumstances.
Most of the gopés in their previous lives were great sages, expert in the studies of the
Vedas, and when Lord Kåñëa appeared as Lord Rämacandra they wanted to enjoy
with Him. Lord Rämacandra gave them the benediction that their desires would be
fulfilled when He would appear as Kåñëa. Therefore the desire of the gopés to enjoy
the appearance of Lord Kåñëa was long cherished. So they approached goddess
Kätyäyané to have Kåñëa as their husband. There are many other circumstances also
which testify to the supreme authority of Kåñëa and show that He is not bound to
the rules and regulations of the material world. In special cases, He acts as He likes to
favor His devotees. This is only possible for Him, because He is the supreme
controller. People in general should follow the instructions of Lord Kåñëa as given in
the Bhagavad-gétä and should not even imagine imitating Lord Kåñëa in the räsa
dance.
Kåñëa’s lifting of Govardhana Hill, His killing great demons like Pütanä and others
are all obviously extraordinary activities. Similarly, the räsa dance is also an
uncommon activity and cannot be imitated by any ordinary man. An ordinary
person engaged in his occupational duty, like Arjuna, should execute his duty for the
satisfaction of Kåñëa; that is within his power. Arjuna was a fighter, and Kåñëa
wanted him to fight for His satisfaction. Arjuna agreed, although at first he was not
willing to fight. Duties are required for ordinary persons. They should not jump up
and try to imitate Kåñëa and indulge in räsa-lélä and thus bring about their ruin. One
should know with certainty that Kåñëa had no personal interest in whatever He did
for the benediction of the gopés. As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, na mäà karmäëi
limpanti: Kåñëa never enjoys or suffers the result of His activities. Therefore it is not
possible for Him to act irreligiously. He is transcendental to all activities and
religious principles. He is untouched by the modes of material nature. He is the
supreme controller of all living entities, either in human society, in the demigod
society in heavenly planets, or in lower forms of life. He is the supreme controller of
all living entities and of material nature; therefore, He has nothing to do with
religious or irreligious principles.
Çukadeva Gosvämé further concludes that the great sages and devotees, who are
washed clean of all conditional life, can move freely even within the contamination
of material nature by keeping Kåñëa the Supreme Personality of Godhead within
their hearts. In this way also they do not become subject to the laws of pleasure and
pain in the modes of material nature. How, then, is it possible for Kåñëa, who appears
in His own internal potency, to be subjected to the laws of karma?
In the Bhagavad-gétä the Lord clearly says that whenever He appears He does so by
His internal potency; He is not forced to accept a body by the laws of karma like an
ordinary living entity. Every other living entity is forced to accept a certain type of
body by his previous actions. But when Kåñëa appears, He always appears in a body;
it is not forced upon Him by the action of His past deeds. His body is a vehicle for
His transcendental pleasure which is enacted by His internal potency. He has no
obligation to the laws of karma. The Mäyävädé monist must accept a certain type of
body, being forced by the laws of nature; therefore, his claim to be one with Kåñëa or
God is only theoretical. Such persons who claim to be equal with Kåñëa and indulge
in räsa-lélä create a dangerous situation for the people in general. Kåñëa, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, is already present as Supersoul within the bodies
of the gopés and their husbands. He is the guide of all living entities, as is confirmed
in the Kaöha Upaniñad, nityo nityänäà cetanaç cetanänäm. The Supersoul directs
the individual soul to act, and the Supersoul is the actor and witness of all action.
It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä that Kåñëa is present in everyone’s heart, and
from Him come all action, remembrance and forgetfulness. He is the original person
to be known by Vedic knowledge. He is the author of Vedänta philosophy, and He
knows the Vedänta philosophy perfectly well. The so-called Vedäntists and
Mäyävädés cannot understand Kåñëa as He is; they simply mislead followers by
imitating the actions of Kåñëa in an unauthorized way. Kåñëa, the Supersoul of
everyone, is already within the body of everyone; therefore if He sees someone or
embraces someone there is no question of propriety.
Some ask that if Kåñëa is self-sufficient, why should He at all manifest pastimes with
the gopés, which are disturbing to the so-called moralists of the world? The answer is
that such activities show special mercy to the fallen, conditioned souls. The gopés are
also expansions of His internal energy, but because Kåñëa wanted to exhibit the räsalélä,
they also appeared as ordinary human beings. In the material world, pleasure is
ultimately manifested in the sex attraction between man and woman. The man lives
simply to be attracted by women, and the woman lives simply to be attracted by men.
That is the basic principle of material life. As soon as these attractions are
combined, people become more and more implicated in material existence. In order
to show them special favor, Kåñëa exhibited this räsa-lélä dance. It is just to captivate
the conditioned soul. Since they are very much attracted by sexology, they can enjoy
the same life with Kåñëa and thus become liberated from the material condition. In
the Second Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, Mahäräja Parékñit also explains that the
pastimes and activities of Lord Kåñëa are medicine for the conditioned souls. If they
simply hear about Kåñëa they become relieved from the material disease. They are
addicted to material enjoyment and are accustomed to reading sex literature, but by
hearing these transcendental pastimes of Kåñëa with the gopés, they will be relieved
from material contamination.
How they should hear and from whom is also explained by Çukadeva Gosvämé. The
difficulty is that the whole world is full of Mäyävädés, and when they become
professional reciters of Çrémad-Bhägavatam, and when people, without knowing the
effect of the Mäyäväda philosophy, hear from such persons, they become confused.
Discussion of räsa-lélä among people in general is not recommended because they are
affected by the Mäyäväda philosophy, but if one who is advanced explains, and
people hear from him, certainly the hearers will be gradually elevated to the position
of Kåñëa consciousness and liberated from materially contaminated life.
Another important point is that all the gopés who danced with Kåñëa were not in
their material bodies. They danced with Kåñëa in their spiritual bodies. All their
husbands thought that their wives were sleeping by their sides. The so-called
husbands of the gopés were already enamored by the influence of the external energy
of Kåñëa; so by dint of this very energy they could not understand that their wives
had gone to dance with Kåñëa. What then is the basis of accusing Kåñëa of dancing
with others’ wives? The bodies of the gopés, which were their husbands’, were lying in
bed, but the spiritual parts and parcels of Kåñëa were dancing with Him. Kåñëa is the
supreme person, the whole spirit, and He danced with the spiritual bodies of the
gopés. There is therefore no reason to accuse Kåñëa in any way.
After the räsa dance was over, the night turned into the brähma-muhürta (the night
of Brahmä, a very, very long period, as mentioned in the Bhagavad-gétä). The
brähma-muhürta takes place about one and a half hours before sunrise. It is
recommended that one should rise from bed at that time and, after finishing daily
ablutions, take to spiritual activities by performing Maìgala-ärätrika and chanting
the Hare Kåñëa mantra. This period is very convenient for the execution of spiritual
activities. When that auspicious moment arrived, Kåñëa asked the gopés to leave.
Although they were not willing to quit His company, they were very obedient and
dear to Him. As soon as Kåñëa asked them to go home, they immediately left and
returned home. Çukadeva Gosvämé concludes this episode of räsa-lélä by pointing out
that if a person hears from the right source of the pastimes of Kåñëa, who is Viñëu
Himself, and the gopés, who are expansions of His energy, then he will be relieved
from the most dangerous type of disease, namely lust. If one actually hears räsa-lélä,
he will become completely freed from the lusty desire of sex life and elevated to the
highest level of spiritual understanding. Generally, because they hear from
Mäyävädés and they themselves are Mäyävädés, people become more and more
implicated in sex life. The conditioned soul should hear the räsa-lélä dance from an
authorized spiritual master and be trained by him so that he can understand the
whole situation; thus one can be elevated to the highest standard of spiritual life,
otherwise one will be implicated. Material lust is a kind of heart disease, and to cure
the material heart disease of the conditioned soul, it is recommended that one
should hear, but not from the impersonalist rascals. If one hears from the right
sources with right understanding, then his situation will be different.
Çukadeva Gosvämé has used the word çraddhänvita for one who is trained in the
spiritual life. Çraddhä, or faith, is the beginning. One who has developed his faith in
Kåñëa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supreme Spirit Soul, can both
describe and hear. Çukadeva also uses the word anuçåëuyät. One must hear from
disciplic succession. Anu means following, and anu means always. So one must
always follow the disciplic succession and not hear from any stray professional
reciter, Mäyävädé or ordinary man. Anuçåëuyät means that one must hear from an
authorized person who is in the disciplic succession and is always engaged in Kåñëa
consciousness. When a person wants to hear in this way, then the effect will be sure.
By hearing räsa-lélä, one will be elevated to the highest position of spiritual life.
Çukadeva Gosvämé uses two specific words, bhaktim and paräm. Bhaktim paräm
means execution of devotional service above the neophyte stage. Those who are
simply attracted to temple worship but do not know the philosophy of bhakti are in
the neophyte stage. That sort of bhakti is not the perfectional stage. The
perfectional stage of bhakti, or devotional service, is completely free from material
contamination. The most dangerous aspect of contamination is lust or sex life.
Bhaktim paräm devotional service is so potent that the more one advances in this
line, the more he loses his attraction for material life. One who is actually deriving
benefit from hearing räsa-lélä dance surely achieves the transcendental position. He
surely loses all traces of lust in his heart.
Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkur points out that according to Bhagavad-gétä, the
Brahmä day and Brahmä night are periods of solar years expanding to 4,300,000
multiplied by 1,000. According to Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkur, the räsa dance was
performed during the long period of Brahmä’s night, but the gopés could not
understand that. In order to fulfill their desire, Kåñëa extended the night to cover
such a great period of time. One may ask how this was possible, and Viçvanätha
Cakravarté Öhäkur reminds us that Kåñëa, although bound by a small rope, could
show His mother the whole universe within His mouth. How was this possible? The
answer is that He can do anything for the pleasure of His devotees. Similarly,
because the gopés wanted to enjoy Kåñëa, they were given the opportunity to
associate with Him for a long period. This was done according to His promise. When
Kåñëa stole the garments of the gopés while they were taking bath at Cirghat on
Yamunä, Kåñëa promised to fulfill their desire in some future night. In one night,
therefore, they enjoyed the company of Kåñëa as their beloved husband, but that
night was not an ordinary night. It was a night of Brahmä, and lasted millions and
millions of years. Everything is possible for Kåñëa, for He is the supreme controller.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-second Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Description of the Räsa Dance.”
33 / Vidyädhara Liberated and the Demon
Çaìkhäsura Killed
Once upon a time, the cowherd men of Våndävana, headed by Nanda Mahäräja,
desired to go to Ambikävana to perform the Çivarätri performance. The räsa-lélä was
performed during the autumn, and after that the next big ceremony is Holi or the
Dolayäträ ceremony. Between the Dolayäträ ceremony and the räsa-lélä ceremony
there is one important ceremony which is called Çivarätri, which is especially
observed by the Çaivites, or devotees of Lord Çiva. But sometimes the Vaiñëavas also
observe this ceremony because they accept Lord Çiva as the foremost Vaiñëava. But
the function of Çivarätri is not observed very regularly by the bhaktas, or devotees of
Kåñëa. Under the circumstances, it is stated in Çrémad-Bhägavatam that the
cowherd men headed by Nanda Mahäräja “once upon a time desired.” That means
that they were not regularly observing the Çivarätri function but that once upon a
time they wanted to go to Ambikävana out of curiosity. Ambikävana is situated
somewhere in the Gujarat province. Ambikävana is said to be situated on the river
Sarasvaté, yet we do not find any Sarasvaté River in the Gujarat province; the only
river there is Savarmati. In India, all the big places of pilgrimage are situated on nice
rivers like the Ganges, Yamunä, Sarasvaté, Narmadä, Godävaré, Käveré, etc.
Ambikävana was situated on the bank of Sarasvaté, and all the cowherd men and
Nanda Mahäräja went there.
They very devotedly began to worship the deity of Lord Çiva and Ambikä. It is the
general practice that wherever there is a temple of Lord Çiva, there must be another
temple of Ambikä (or Durgä) because Ambikä is the wife of Lord Çiva and is the
most exalted of chaste women. She doesn’t live outside the association of her
husband. After reaching Ambikävana, the cowherd men of Våndävana first bathed
themselves in the river Sarasvaté. If one goes to any place of pilgrimage, his first duty
is to take a bath and sometimes to shave his head. That is the first business. After
taking bath, they worshiped the deities and then distributed charity in the holy
places.
According to the Vedic system, charity is given to the brähmaëas. It is stated in the
Vedic çästras that only the brähmaëas and the sannyäsés can accept charity. The
cowherd men from Våndävana gave cows decorated with golden ornaments and
beautiful garlands. The brähmaëas are given charity because they are not engaged in
any business profession. They are supposed to be engaged in brahminical
occupations, as described in the Bhagavad-gétä—namely, they must be very learned
and must perform austerity and penances. They must not only themselves be
learned, but they must also teach others. Brähmaëas are not meant to be brähmaëas
alone; they should create other brähmaëas also. If a man is found who agrees to
become a brähmaëa’s disciple, he is also given the chance to become a brähmaëa.
The brähmaëa is always engaged in the worship of Lord Viñëu. Therefore the
brähmaëas are eligible to accept all kinds of charity. But if the brähmaëas receive
excess charity, they are to distribute it for the service of Viñëu. In the Vedic
scripture, therefore, one is recommended to give in charity to the brähmaëas, and by
so doing one pleases Lord Viñëu and all the demigods.
The pilgrims take bath, worship the Deity, and give in charity; they are also
recommended to fast one day. They should go to a place of pilgrimage and stay there
at least for three days. The first day is spent fasting, and at night they can drink a
little water because water does not break the fast.
The cowherd men, headed by Nanda Mahäräja, spent that night on the bank of the
Sarasvaté. They fasted all day and drank a little water at night. But while they were
taking their rest, a great serpent from the nearby forest appeared before them and
hungrily began to swallow up Nanda Mahäräja. Nanda began to cry helplessly, “My
dear son, Kåñëa, please come and save me from this danger! This serpent is
swallowing me!” When Nanda Mahäräja cried for help, all the cowherd men got up
and saw what was happening. They immediately took up burning logs and began to
beat the snake to kill it. But in spite of being beaten with burning logs, the serpent
was not about to give up swallowing Nanda Mahäräja.
At that time Kåñëa appeared on the scene and touched the serpent with His lotus
feet. Immediately upon being touched by the lotus feet of Kåñëa, the serpent shed its
reptilian body and appeared as a very beautiful demigod named Vidyädhara. His
bodily features were so beautiful that he appeared to be worshipable. There was a
luster and effulgence emanating from his body, and he was garlanded with a gold
necklace. He offered obeisances to Lord Kåñëa and stood before Him with great
humility. Kåñëa then asked the demigod, “You appear to be a very nice demigod and
to be favored by the goddess of fortune. How is it that you performed such
abominable activities, and how did you get the body of a serpent?” The demigod then
began to narrate the story of his previous life.
“My dear Lord,” he said, “in my previous life I was named Vidyädhara and was known
all over the world for my beauty. Because I was a celebrated personality, I used to
travel all over in my airplane. While traveling, I saw a great sage named Äìgirä. He
was very ugly, and because I was very proud of my beauty, I laughed at him. Due to
this sinful action, I was condemned by the great sage to assume the form of a
serpent.”
One should note here that before being favored by Kåñëa, a person is always under
the modes of material nature, however elevated he may be materially. Vidyädhara
was a materially elevated demigod, and he was very beautiful. He also held a great
material position and was able to travel all over by airplane. Yet he was condemned
to become a serpent in his next life. Any materially elevated person can be
condemned to an abominable species of life if he is not careful. It is a misconception
that after reaching the human body one is never degraded. Vidyädhara himself states
that even though he was a demigod, he was condemned to become a serpent. But
because he was touched by the lotus feet of Kåñëa, he immediately came to Kåñëa
consciousness. He admitted, however, that in his previous life he was actually sinful.
A Kåñëa conscious person knows that he is always the servant of the servant of
Kåñëa; he is most insignificant, and whatever good he does is by the grace of Kåñëa
and the spiritual master.
The demigod Vidyädhara continued to speak to Çré Kåñëa. “Because I was very proud
of the exquisite beauty of my body,” he said, “I derided the ugly features of the great
sage Äìgirä. He cursed me for my sin, and I became a snake. Now I consider that this
curse by the sage was not at all a curse; it was a great benediction for me. Had he not
cursed me, I would not have assumed the body of a serpent and would not have been
kicked by Your lotus feet and thus freed from all material contamination.”
In material existence, four things are very valuable: to be born in a decent family, to
be very rich, to be very learned, and to be very beautiful. These are considered to be
material assets. Unfortunately, without Kåñëa consciousness, these material assets
sometimes become sources of sin and degradation. Despite Vidyädhara’s being a
demigod and having a beautiful body, he was condemned to the body of a snake due
to pride. A snake is considered to be the most cruel and envious living entity, but
those who are human beings and are envious of others are considered to be even
more vicious than snakes. The snake can be subdued or controlled by charming
mantras and herbs, but a person who is envious cannot be controlled by anyone.
“My dear Lord,” Vidyädhara continued, “Now since I think I have become freed from
all kinds of sinful activities, I am asking Your permission to return to my abode, the
heavenly planet.” This request indicates that persons who are attached to fruitive
activities, desiring promotion to the comforts of higher planetary systems, cannot
achieve their ultimate goal of life without the sanction of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that the less intelligent want to
achieve material benefits and therefore worship different kinds of demigods, but
they actually get the benediction from the demigods through the permission of Lord
Viñëu, or Kåñëa. Demigods have no power to bestow material profit. Even if one is
attached to material benediction, he can worship Kåñëa the Supreme Personality of
Godhead and ask Him. Kåñëa is completely able to give even material benediction.
There is a difference, however, in asking material benediction from the demigods
and from Kåñëa. Dhruva Mahäräja worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead
for material benediction, but when he actually achieved the favor of the Supreme
Lord and saw Him, he was so satisfied that he refused to accept any material
benediction. The intelligent person does not ask favors from or worship the
demigods; he directly becomes Kåñëa conscious, and if he has any desire for material
benefit, he asks Kåñëa, not the demigods.
Vidyädhara, awaiting permission of Kåñëa to return to the heavenly planets, said,
“Now because I am touched by Your lotus feet, I am relieved from all kinds of
material pangs. You are the most powerful of all mystics. You are the original
Supreme Personality of Godhead. You are the master of all the devotees. You are the
provider of the planetary systems, and therefore I am asking Your permission. You
may accept me as fully surrendered unto You. I know very well that persons who are
constantly engaged in chanting Your holy name attain release from all sinful
reactions, and certainly persons who are fortunate enough to be personally touched
by Your lotus feet are freed. Therefore I am sure that I am now relieved from the
curse of the brähmaëa simply by being touched by Your lotus feet.”
In this way, Vidyädhara got permission from Lord Kåñëa to return to his home in the
higher planetary system. After receiving this honor, he began to circumambulate the
Lord. And after offering his respectful obeisances unto Him, he returned to his
heavenly planet. Thus Nanda Mahäräja also became relieved from the imminent
danger of being devoured by the snake.
The cowherd men who had come to execute the ritualistic function of worshiping
Lord Çiva and Ambikä finished their business and prepared to return to Våndävana.
While returning, they recalled the wonderful activities of Kåñëa. By relating the
incident of Vidyädhara’s deliverance, they became more attached to Kåñëa. They
had come to worship Lord Çiva and Ambikä, but they became more and more
attached to Kåñëa. Similarly, the gopés also worshiped goddess Kätyäyané to become
more and more attached to Kåñëa. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that persons who
are attached to worshiping demigods like Lord Brahmä, Çiva, Indra and Candra, for
some personal benefit, are less intelligent and have forgotten the real purpose of life.
But the cowherd men, inhabitants of Våndävana, were no ordinary men. Whatever
they did, they did for Kåñëa. If one worships demigods like Lord Çiva and Lord
Brahmä to become more attached to Kåñëa, that is approved. But if one goes to the
demigods for some personal benefit, that is condemned.
After this incident, on a very pleasant night, both Kåñëa and His elder brother
Balaräma, who are inconceivably powerful, went into the forest of Våndävana. They
were accompanied by the damsels of Vrajabhümi, and they began to enjoy each
other’s company. The young damsels of Vraja were very nicely dressed and anointed
with pulp of sandalwood and decorated with flowers. The moon was shining in the
sky, surrounded by glittering stars, and the breeze was blowing, bearing the aroma of
mallikä flowers, and the bumblebees were mad after the aroma. Taking advantage of
the pleasing atmosphere, both Kåñëa and Balaräma began to sing very melodiously.
The damsels became so absorbed in Their rhythmical song that they almost forgot
themselves; their hair loosened, their dresses slackened, and their garlands began to
fall to the ground.
At that time, while they were so much absorbed, almost in madness, a demon
associate of Kuvera (the treasurer of the heavenly planets) appeared on the scene.
The demon’s name was Çaìkhäsura because on his head there was a valuable jewel
resembling a conchshell. Just as the two sons of Kuvera were puffed up over their
wealth and opulence and did not care for Närada Muni’s presence, this Çaìkhäsura
was also puffed up over material opulence. He thought that Kåñëa and Balaräma
were two ordinary cowherd boys enjoying the company of many beautiful girls.
Generally, in the material world, a person with riches thinks that all beautiful
women should be enjoyed by him. Çaìkhäsura also thought that, since he belonged
to the rich community of Kuvera, he, not Kåñëa and Balaräma, should enjoy the
company of so many beautiful girls. He therefore decided to take charge of them. He
appeared before Kåñëa and Balaräma and the damsels of Vraja and began to lead the
girls away to the north. He commanded them as if he were their proprietor and
husband, despite the presence of Kåñëa and Balaräma. Being forcibly taken away by
Çaìkhäsura, the damsels of Vraja began to call the names of Kåñëa and Balaräma for
protection. The two brothers immediately began to follow them, taking up big logs in
Their hands. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid,” They called to the gopés. “We are
coming at once to chastise this demon.” Very quickly They reached Çaìkhäsura.
Thinking the brothers too powerful, Çaìkhäsura left the company of the gopés and
ran for fear of his life. But Kåñëa would not let him go. He entrusted the gopés to the
care of Balaräma and followed Çaìkhäsura wherever he fled. Kåñëa wanted to take
the valuable jewel resembling a conchshell from the head of the demon. After
following him a very short distance, Kåñëa caught him, struck his head with His fist
and killed him. He then took the valuable jewel and returned. In the presence of all
the damsels of Vraja, He presented the valuable jewel to His elder brother Balaräma.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-third Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Vidyädhara Liberated and the Demon Çaìkhäsura Killed.”
34 / The Gopés’ Feelings of Separation
The gopés of Våndävana were so attached to Kåñëa that they were not satisfied
simply with the räsa dance at night. They wanted to associate with Him and enjoy
His company during the daytime also. When Kåñëa went to the forest with His
cowherd boy friends and cows, the gopés did not physically take part, but their hearts
went with Him. And because their hearts went, they were able to enjoy His company
through strong feelings of separation. To acquire this strong feeling of separation is
the teaching of Lord Caitanya and His direct disciplic succession of Gosvämés.
When we are not in physical contact with Kåñëa, we can associate with Him like the
gopés, through feelings of separation. Kåñëa’s transcendental form, qualities,
pastimes, and entourage are all identical with Him. There are nine different kinds of
devotional service. Devotional service to Kåñëa in feelings of separation elevates the
devotee to the highest perfectional level, to the level of the gopés.
It is stated in Çréniväsäcärya’s prayer to the six Gosvämés that they left the material
opulences of government service and the princely status of life and went to
Våndävana, where they lived just like ordinary mendicants, begging from door to
door. But they were so much enriched with the gopés’ feelings of separation that they
enjoyed transcendental pleasure at every moment. Similarly, when Lord Caitanya
was at Jagannätha Puré, He was in the role of Rädhäräëé, feeling the separation of
Kåñëa. Those who are in the disciplic succession of the Mädhva-Gauòéya-sampradäya
should also feel the separation of Kåñëa, worship His transcendental form, and
discuss His transcendental teachings, His pastimes, His qualities, His entourage and
His associations. The spiritual masters should enrich the devotees to the highest
devotional perfection. Feeling constant separation while engaged in the service of
the Lord is the perfection of Kåñëa consciousness.
The gopés used to discuss Kåñëa amongst themselves, and their talks were as follows.
“My dear friends,” one gopé said, “do you know that when Kåñëa lies on the ground
He rests on His left elbow, and His head rests on His left hand? He moves His
attractive eyebrows while playing His flute with His delicate fingers, and the sound
He produces creates such a nice atmosphere that the denizens of the heavenly
planets, who travel in space with their wives and beloved, stop their airplanes, for
they are stunned by the vibration of the flute. The wives of the demigods who are
seated in the planes then become very much ashamed of their singing and musical
qualifications. Not only that, but they become afflicted with conjugal love, and their
hair and tightened dresses immediately loosen.”
Another gopé said, “My dear friends, Kåñëa is so beautiful that the goddess of fortune
always remains on His chest, and He is always adorned with a golden necklace.
Beautiful Kåñëa plays His flute in order to enliven the hearts of many devotees. He is
the only friend of the suffering living entities. When He plays His flute, all the cows
and other animals of Våndävana, although engaged in eating, simply take a morsel of
food in their mouths and stop chewing. Their ears raise up and they become
stunned. They do not appear alive but like painted animals. Kåñëa’s flute playing is
so attractive that even the animals become enchanted, and what to speak of
ourselves.”
Another gopé said, “My dear friends, not only living animals, but even inanimate
objects like the rivers and lakes of Våndävana also become stunned when Kåñëa
passes with peacock feathers on His head and His body smeared with the minerals of
Våndävana. With leaves and flowers decorating His body, He looks like some hero.
When He plays on His flute and calls the cows with Balaräma, the River Yamunä
stops flowing and waits for the air to carry dust from His lotus feet. The River
Yamunä is unfortunate like us; it does not get Kåñëa’s mercy. The river simply
remains stunned, stopping its waves just as we also stop crying out of frustration for
Kåñëa.”
In the absence of Kåñëa the gopés were constantly shedding tears, but sometimes,
when they expected that Kåñëa was coming, they would stop crying. But when they
saw that Kåñëa was not coming, then again they would become frustrated and begin
to cry. Kåñëa is the original Personality of Godhead, the origin of all Viñëu forms,
and the cowherd boys are all demigods. Lord Viñëu is always worshiped and
surrounded by different demigods like Lord Çiva, Lord Brahmä, Indra, Candra, and
others. When Kåñëa traveled through the Våndävana forest or walked on the
Govardhana Hill, He was accompanied by the cowherd boys. While walking, He
played His flute, just to call His cows. Just by His association, the trees, plants and
other vegetation in the forest immediately became Kåñëa conscious. A Kåñëa
conscious person sacrifices everything for Kåñëa. Although trees and plants are not
very advanced in consciousness, by the association of Kåñëa and His friends they also
became Kåñëa conscious. They then want to deliver everything—whatever they
have—their fruits, flowers, and the honey incessantly falling from their branches.
When Kåñëa walked on the bank of the Yamunä, He was seen nicely decorated with
tilaka on His head. He was garlanded with different kinds of forest flowers, and His
body was smeared by the pulp of sandalwood and tulasé leaves. The bumblebees
became mad after the treasure and sweet nectar of the atmosphere. Being pleased by
the humming sound of the bees, Kåñëa would play His flute, and together the sounds
became so sweet to hear that the aquatics, the cranes, swans and ducks and other
birds were charmed. Instead of swimming or flying, they became stunned. They
closed their eyes and entered a trance of meditation in worship of Kåñëa.
One gopé said, “My dear friend, Kåñëa and Balaräma are nicely dressed with earrings
and pearl necklaces. They enjoy Themselves on the top of Govardhana Hill, and
everything becomes absorbed in transcendental pleasure when Kåñëa plays on His
flute, charming the whole created manifestation. When He plays, the clouds stop
their loud thundering, out of fear of Him. Rather than disturb the vibration of His
flute, they respond with mild thunder and so congratulate Kåñëa, their friend.”
Kåñëa is accepted as the friend of the cloud because both the cloud and Kåñëa satisfy
the people when they are disturbed. When the people are burning due to excessive
heat, the cloud satisfies them with rain. Similarly, when people in materialistic life
become disturbed by the blazing fire of material pangs, Kåñëa gives them relief. The
cloud and Kåñëa, having the same bodily color also, are considered to be friends.
Desiring to congratulate its superior friend, the cloud poured not water but small
flowers and covered the head of Kåñëa to protect Him from the scorching sunshine.
One of the gopés told mother Yaçodä, “My dear mother, your son is very expert
among the cowherd boys. He knows all the different arts, how to tend the cows and
how to play the flute. He composes His own songs, and to sing them He puts His
flute to His mouth. When He plays, either in the morning or in the evening, all the
demigods, like Lord Çiva, Brahmä, Indra and Candra, bow their heads and listen
with great attention. Although they are very learned and expert, they cannot
understand the musical arrangements of Kåñëa’s flute. They simply listen attentively
and try to understand, but become bewildered and nothing more.”
Another gopé said, “My dear friend, when Kåñëa returns home with His cows, the
footprint of the soles of His feet—with flag, thunderbolt, trident, and lotus flower—
relieves the pain the earth feels when the cows traverse it. He walks in a stride
which is so attractive, and He carries His flute. Just by looking at Him we become
lusty to enjoy His company. At that time, our movements cease. We become just like
trees and stand perfectly still. We even forget what we look like.”
Kåñëa had many thousands of cows, and they were divided into groups according to
their colors. They were also differently named according to color. When He would
return from the pasturing ground, He would find all the cows gathered. As Vaiñëavas
count 108 beads, which represent the 108 individual gopés, so Kåñëa would also chant
108 different groups of cows.
“When Kåñëa returns, He is garlanded with tulasé leaves,” a gopé describes Him to a
friend. “He puts His hand on the shoulder of a cowherd boy friend, and begins to
blow His transcendental flute. The wives of the black deer become enchanted upon
hearing the vibration of His flute, which resembles the vibration of the véëä. The
deer come to Kåñëa and become so charmed that they stand still, forgetting their
homes and husbands. Like us, who are enchanted by the ocean of the transcendental
qualities of Kåñëa, the she-deer become enchanted by the vibration of His flute.”
Another gopé told mother Yaçodä, “My dear mother, when your son returns home,
He decorates Himself with the buds of the kunda flower, and just to enlighten and
gladden His friends, He blows His flute. The breeze blowing from the south pleases
the atmosphere because it is fragrant and very cool. Demigods like the Gandharvas
and Siddhas take advantage of this atmosphere and offer prayers to Kåñëa by
sounding their bugles and drums. Kåñëa is very kind to the inhabitants of
Vrajabhümi, Våndävana, and when He returns with His cows and friends, He is
remembered as the lifter of Govardhana Hill. Taking advantage of this opportunity,
the most exalted demigods like Lord Brahmä and Lord Çiva come down to offer their
evening prayers, and they accompany the cowherd boys in glorifying the qualities of
Kåñëa.
“Kåñëa is compared with the moon, born in the ocean of the womb of Devaké. When
He returns in the evening, it appears that He is fatigued, but He still tries to gladden
the inhabitants of Våndävana by His auspicious presence. When Kåñëa returns,
garlanded with flowers, His face looks beautiful. He walks into Våndävana with a
stride just like the elephant and slowly enters His home. Upon His return, the men,
women, and cows of Våndävana immediately forget the scorching heat of the day.”
Such descriptions of Kåñëa’s transcendental pastimes and activities were
remembered by the gopés during His absence from Våndävana. They give us some
idea of Kåñëa’s attraction. Everyone and everything is attracted to Kåñëa—that is
the perfect description of Kåñëa’s attraction. The example of the gopés is very
instructive to persons who are trying to be absorbed in Kåñëa consciousness. One
can very easily associate with Kåñëa simply by remembering His transcendental
pastimes. Everyone has a tendency to love someone. That Kåñëa should be the object
of love is the central point of Kåñëa consciousness. By constantly chanting the Hare
Kåñëa mantra and remembering the transcendental pastimes of Kåñëa, one can be
fully in Kåñëa consciousness and thus make his life sublime and fruitful.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-fourth Chapter of Kåñëa, “The
Gopés’ Feelings of Separation.”
35 / Kaàsa Sends Akrüra for Kåñëa
Våndävana was always absorbed in the thought of Kåñëa. Everyone remembered His
pastimes and was constantly merged in the ocean of transcendental bliss. But the
material world is so contaminated that even in Våndävana the asuras or demons
tried to disturb the peaceful situation.
One demon named Ariñöäsura entered the village like a great bull with a gigantic
body and horns, digging up the earth with his hooves. When the demon entered
Våndävana, it appeared that the whole land trembled, as if there were an
earthquake. He roared fiercely, and after digging up the earth on the riverside, he
entered the village proper. The fearful roaring of the bull was so piercing that some
of the pregnant cows and women had miscarriages. Its body was so big, stout and
strong that a cloud hovered over its body just as clouds hover over mountains.
Ariñöäsura entered Våndävana with such a fearful appearance that just on seeing this
great demon, all the men and women were afflicted with great fear, and the cows
and other animals fled the village.
The situation became very terrible, and all the inhabitants of Våndävana began to
cry, “Kåñëa! Kåñëa, please save us!” Kåñëa also saw that the cows were running away,
and He immediately replied, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid.” He then appeared
before Ariñöäsura and said, “You are the lowest of living entities! Why are you
frightening the inhabitants of Gokula? What will you gain by this action? If you
have come to challenge My authority, then I am prepared to fight you.” In this way,
Kåñëa challenged the demon, and the demon became very angry by the words of
Kåñëa. Kåñëa stood before the bull, resting His hand on the shoulder of a friend. The
bull began to proceed towards Kåñëa in anger. Digging the earth with his hooves,
Ariñöäsura lifted his tail, and it appeared that clouds were hovering about the tail.
His eyes were reddish and moving in anger. Pointing his horns at Kåñëa, he began to
charge Him, just like the thunderbolt of Indra. But Kåñëa immediately caught his
horns and tossed him away, just as a gigantic elephant repels a small inimical
elephant. Although the demon appeared to be very tired and although he was
perspiring, he took courage and got up. Again he charged Kåñëa with great force and
anger. While rushing towards Kåñëa, he breathed very heavily. Kåñëa again caught
his horns and immediately threw him on the ground, breaking his horns. Kåñëa then
began to kick his body, just as one squeezes a wet cloth on the ground. Being thus
kicked by Kåñëa, Ariñöäsura rolled over and began to move his legs violently.
Bleeding and passing stool and urine, his eyes starting from their sockets, he passed
to the kingdom of death.
The demigods in the celestial planets began to shower flowers on Kåñëa for His
wonderful achievements. Kåñëa was already the life and soul of the inhabitants of
Våndävana, and after killing this demon in the shape of a bull, He became the
cynosure of all eyes. With Balaräma, He triumphantly entered Våndävana village,
and the inhabitants glorified Him and Balaräma with great jubilation. When a
person performs some wonderful feat, his kinsmen and relatives and friends
naturally become jubilant.
It was after this incident that the great sage Närada disclosed the secret of Kåñëa.
Närada Muni is generally known as devadarçana, which means that he can be seen
only by demigods or persons on the same level with the demigods. But Närada visited
Kaàsa, who was not at all on the level of the demigods, and yet Kaàsa saw him. Of
course Kaàsa also saw Kåñëa, what to speak of Närada Muni, but generally one must
have purified eyes to see the Lord and His devotees. Of course, by association with a
pure devotee, one can derive an imperceptible benefit, which is called ajïatasukåti.
He cannot understand how he is making progress, yet he makes progress by seeing
the devotee of the Lord. Närada Muni’s mission was to finish things quickly. Kåñëa
appeared to kill the demons, and Kaàsa was the chief among them. Närada wanted
to expedite things; therefore, he immediately approached Kaàsa with all the real
information. “You are to be killed by the eighth son of Vasudeva,” Närada told
Kaàsa. “That eighth son is Kåñëa. You were misled by Vasudeva into believing that
the eighth issue of Vasudeva was a daughter. Actually, the daughter was born of
Yaçodä, the wife of Nanda Mahäräja, and Vasudeva exchanged the daughter, so you
were misled. Kåñëa is the son of Vasudeva, as is Balaräma. Being afraid of your
atrocious nature, Vasudeva has tactfully hidden Them in Våndävana, out of your
sight.” Närada further informed Kaàsa, “Kåñëa and Balaräma have been living
incognito in the care of Nanda Mahäräja. All the asuras, your companions who were
sent to Våndävana to kill different children, were all killed by Kåñëa and Balaräma.”
As soon as Kaàsa got this information from Närada Muni, he took out his sharpend
sword and prepared to kill Vasudeva for his duplicity. But Närada pacified him. “You
are not to be killed by Vasudeva,” he said. “Why are you so anxious to kill him?
Better try to kill Kåñëa and Balaräma.” But in order to satisfy his wrath, Kaàsa
arrested Vasudeva and his wife and shackled them in iron chains. Acting on the new
information, Kaàsa immediately called for the Keçé demon and asked him to go to
Våndävana immediately to fetch Balaräma and Kåñëa. In actuality, Kaàsa asked Keçé
to go to Våndävana to be killed by Kåñëa and Balaräma and thus get salvation. Then
Kaàsa called for the expert elephant trainers, Cäëüra, Muñöika, Çala, Toçala, etc.,
and he told them, “My dear friends, try to hear me attentively. At Nanda Mahäräja’s
place in Våndävana there are two brothers, Kåñëa and Balaräma. They are actually
two sons of Vasudeva. As you know, I have been destined to be killed by Kåñëa; there
is a prophecy to this effect. Now I am requesting you to arrange for a wrestling
match. People from different parts of the country will come to see the festival. I will
arrange to get those two boys here, and you will try to kill Them in the wrestling
arena.”
Wrestling matches are still enjoyed by the indigenous people in the northern part of
India, and it appears from the statements of Çrémad-Bhägavatam that 5,000 years ago
wrestling was popular. Kaàsa planned to arrange such a wrestling competition and
to invite people to visit. He also told the trainers of the elephants, “Be sure to bring
the elephant named Kuvalayäpéòa and keep him at the gate of the wrestling camp.
Try to capture Kåñëa and Balaräma on Their arrival and kill Them.”
Kaàsa also advised his friends to arrange to worship Lord Çiva by offering animal
sacrifices and performing the sacrifice called Dhanur-yajïa and the sacrifice
performed on the fourteenth day of the moon, known as Caturdaçé. This date falls
three days after Ekädaçé, and it is set aside for the worship of Lord Çiva. One of the
plenary portions of Lord Çiva is called Kälabhairava. This form of Lord Çiva is
worshiped by the demons who offer skinned animals before him. The process is still
current in India in a place called Vaidyanätha-dhäma where the demons offer
animal sacrifices to the deity of Kälabhairava. Kaàsa belonged to this demonic
group. He was also an expert diplomat, and so he quickly arranged for his demon
friends to kill Kåñëa and Balaräma.
He then called for Akrüra, one of the descendants in the family of Yadu in which
Kåñëa was born as the son of Vasudeva. When Akrüra came to see Kaàsa, Kaàsa
very politely shook hands with him and said, “My dear Akrüra, actually I’ve no better
friend than you in the Bhoja and Yadu dynasties. You are the most munificent
person, so as a friend I am begging charity from you. Actually I have taken shelter of
you exactly as King Indra takes shelter of Lord Viñëu. I request you to go
immediately to Våndävana and find the two boys named Kåñëa and Balaräma. They
are sons of Nanda Mahäräja. Take this nice chariot, especially prepared for the boys,
and bring Them here immediately. That is my request to you. Now, my plan is to kill
these two boys. As soon as They come in the gate, there will be a giant elephant
named Kuvalayäpéòa awaiting, and possibly he will be able to kill Them. But if
somehow or other They escape, They will next meet the wrestlers and will be killed
by them. That is my plan. And after killing these two boys, I shall kill Vasudeva and
Nanda, who are supporters of the Våñëi and Bhoja dynasties. I shall also kill my
father Ugrasena and his brother Devaka, because they are actually my enemies and
are hindrances to my diplomacy and politics. Thus I shall get rid of all my enemies.
Jaräsandha is my father-in-law, and I have a great monkey friend named Dvivida.
With their help it will be easy to kill all the kings on the surface of the world who
support the demigods. This is my plan. In this way I shall be free from all opposition,
and it will be very pleasant to rule the world without obstruction. You may know also
that Çambara, Narakäsura and Bäëäsura are my intimate friends, and when I begin
this war against the kings who support the demigods, they will help me considerably.
Surely I shall be rid of all my enemies. Please go immediately to Våndävana and
encourage the boys to come here to see the beauty of Mathurä and take pleasure in
the wrestling competition.”
After hearing this plan of Kaàsa’s, Akrüra replied, “My dear King, your plan is very
excellently made to counteract the hindrances to your diplomatic activities. But you
should maintain some discretion, or your plans will not be fruitful. After all, man
proposes, God disposes. We may make very great plans, but unless they are
sanctioned by the supreme authority, they will fail. Everyone in this material world
knows that the supernatural power is the ultimate disposer of everything. One may
make a very great plan with his fertile brain, but he must know that he will become
subjected to the fruits, misery and happiness. But I have nothing to say against your
proposal. As a friend, I shall carry out your order and bring Kåñëa and Balaräma
here, as you desire.”
After instructing his friends in various ways, Kaàsa retired, and Akrüra went to
Våndävana.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-fifth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kaàsa
Sends Akrüra for Kåñëa.”
36 / Killing the Keçé Demon and Vyomäsura
After being instructed by Kaàsa, the demon Keçé assumed the form of a terrible
horse. He entered the area of Våndävana, his great mane flying and his hooves
digging up the earth. He began to whinny and terrify the whole world. Kåñëa saw
that the demon was terrifying all the residents of Våndävana with his whinnying
and his tail wheeling in the sky like a big cloud. Kåñëa could understand that the
horse was challenging Him to fight. The Lord accepted his challenge and stood
before the Keçé demon. As He called him to fight, the horse began to proceed
towards Kåñëa, making a horrible sound like a roaring lion. Keçé rushed toward the
Lord with great speed and tried to trample Him with his legs, which were strong,
forceful, and as hard as stone. Kåñëa, however, immediately caught hold of his legs
and thus baffled him. Being somewhat angry, Kåñëa began to move around the horse
dextrously. After a few rounds, He threw him a hundred yards away, just as Garuòa
throws a big snake. Thrown by Kåñëa, the horse immediately passed out, but after a
little while he regained consciousness and with great anger and force rushed toward
Kåñëa again, this time with his mouth open. As soon as Keçé reached Him, Kåñëa
pushed His left hand within the horse’s mouth. The horse felt great pain because the
hand of Kåñëa felt to him like a hot iron rod. Immediately his teeth fell out. Kåñëa’s
hand within the mouth of the horse at once began to inflate, and Keçé’s throat
choked up. As the great horse began to suffocate, perspiration appeared on his body,
and he began to throw his legs hither and thither. As his last breath came, his
eyeballs bulged in their sockets, and he passed stool and urine simultaneously. Thus
the vital force of his life expired. When the horse was dead, his mouth became loose
and Kåñëa could extract His hand without difficulty. He did not feel any surprise
that the Keçé demon was killed so easily, but the demigods were amazed, and out of
their great appreciation they offered Kåñëa greetings by showering flowers.
After this incident, Närada Muni, the greatest of all devotees, came to see Kåñëa in a
solitary place and began to talk with Him. “My dear Lord Kåñëa,” he said, “You are
the unlimited Supersoul, the supreme controller of all mystic powers, the Lord of the
whole universe, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead. You are the resting place
of the cosmic manifestation, the master of all the devotees and the Lord of everyone.
My dear Lord, as the Supersoul of all living entities, You remain concealed within
their hearts exactly as fire remains concealed in every piece of fuel. You are the
witness of all the activities of the living entities, and You are the supreme controller
within their hearts. You are self-sufficient; before the creation, You existed, and by
Your energy You have created the whole material universe. According to Your
perfect plan, this material world is created by the interaction of the modes of nature,
and by You they are maintained and annihilated. Although You are unaffected by
all these activities, You are the supreme controller eternally. My dear Lord, You have
advented Yourself on the surface of this world just to kill all the so-called kings who
are actually demons. These hobgoblins are cheating people in the dress of the
princely order. You have advented Yourself to fulfill Your own statement that You
come within this material world just to protect the principles of religion and
annihilate unwanted miscreants. My dear Lord, I am therefore sure that the day
after tomorrow I shall see demons like Cäëüra, Muñöika and the other wrestlers and
elephants, as well as Kaàsa himself, killed by You. And I shall see this with my own
eyes. After this, I hope I shall be able to see the killing of other demons like Çaìkha,
Yavana, Mura, and Narakäsura. I shall also see how You take away the pärijäta
flower from the kingdom of heaven, and how You defeat the King of heaven himself.
“My dear Lord,” Närada Muni continued, “I shall then be able to see how You marry
princesses, the daughters of chivalrous kings, by paying the price of kñatriya
strength.” (Whenever a kñatriya wants to marry a very beautiful and qualified
princess of a great king, he must fight his competitors and emerge victorious. Then
he is given the hand of the princess in charity.)
“I shall also see how You save King Någa from a hellish condition,” said Närada
Muni. “This You shall enact in Dvärakä. I shall also be able to see how You get Your
wife and the Syamantaka jewel and how You save the son of a brähmaëa from death
after he has already been transferred to another planet. After this, I will be able to
see You kill the Pauëòraka demon and burn to ashes the kingdom of Käçé. I will see
how You kill the King of Cedi and Dantavakra in great fights, on behalf of Mahäräja
Yudhiñöhira. Besides all this, it will be possible for me to see many other chivalrous
activities while You remain in Dvärakä. And all these activities performed by Your
grace will be sung by great poets for all time. And at the battle of Kurukñetra You
will take part as the chariot driver of Your friend Arjuna, and as the invincible
death incarnation, eternal time, You will vanquish all belligerents assembled there. I
shall see a large number of military forces killed in that battlefield. My Lord, let me
offer my respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet. You are situated completely in
the transcendental position in perfect knowledge and bliss. You are complete in
Yourself and are beyond all desires. By exhibiting Your internal potency, You have
set up the influence of mäyä. Your unlimited potency cannot even be measured by
anyone. My dear Lord, You are the supreme controller. You are under Your own
internal potency, and it is simply vain to think that You are dependent on any of
Your creations.
“You have taken birth in the Yadu dynasty, or the Våñëi dynasty. Your advent on the
surface of the earth in Your original form of eternal blissful knowledge is Your own
pastime. You are not dependent on anything but Yourself; therefore I offer my
respectful obeisances unto Your lotus feet.”
Närada Muni wanted to impress upon people in general that Kåñëa is fully
independent. His activities, such as His appearance in the family of Yadu or His
friendship with Arjuna, do not necessarily oblige Him to act to enjoy their results.
They are all pastimes, and for Him they are all play. But for us they are actual,
tangible facts.
After offering his respectful obeisances to Lord Kåñëa, Närada Muni took permission
and left. After He had killed the Keçé demon, Kåñëa returned to tending the cows
with His friends in the forest as though nothing had happened. Thus Kåñëa is
eternally engaged in His transcendental activities in Våndävana with His friends,
the cowherd boys and gopés, but sometimes He exhibits the extraordinary prowess of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead by killing different types of demons.
Later that morning Kåñëa went to play with His cowherd boy friends on the top of
the Govardhana Hill. They were imitating the play of thieves and police. Some of
the boys became police constables, and some became thieves, and some took the role
of lambs. While they were thus enjoying their childhood pastimes, a demon known
by the name of Vyomäsura, “the demon who flies in the sky,” appeared on the scene.
He was the son of another great demon named Maya. These demons can perform
wonderful magic. Vyomäsura took the part of a cowherd boy playing as thief and
stole many boys who were playing the parts of lambs. One after another he took
away almost all the boys and put them in the caves of the mountain and sealed the
mouths of the caves with stones. Kåñëa could understand the trick the demon was
playing; therefore He caught hold of him exactly as a lion catches hold of a lamb.
The demon tried to expand himself like a hill to escape arrest, but Kåñëa did not
allow him to get out of His clutches. He was immediately thrown on the ground with
great force and killed, just as an animal is killed in the slaughterhouse. After killing
the Vyoma demon, Lord Kåñëa released all His friends from the caves of the
mountain. He was then praised by His friends and by the demigods for these
wonderful acts. He again returned to Våndävana with His cows and friends.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-sixth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Killing
the Keçé Demon and Vyomäsura.”
37 / Akrüra’s Arrival in Våndävana
Närada Muni did not mention Kåñëa’s killing Vyomäsura, which means that he was
killed on the same day as the Keçé demon. The Keçé demon was killed in the early
morning, and after that the boys went to tend the cows on Govardhana Hill, and it
was there that Vyomäsura was killed. Both demons were killed in the morning.
Akrüra was requested by Kaàsa to arrive in Våndävana by evening. After receiving
instruction from Kaàsa, Akrüra started the next morning via chariot for
Våndävana. Because Akrüra himself was a great devotee of the Lord, while going to
Våndävana he began to praise to the Lord. Devotees are always absorbed in thoughts
of Kåñëa, and Akrüra was constantly thinking of Lord Kåñëa’s lotus eyes.
He did not know what sort of pious activities he must have done to gain an
opportunity to go see Lord Kåñëa. Akrüra thought that if Kåñëa willed, he would be
able to see Him. Akrüra considered himself most fortunate that he was going to see
Kåñëa, whom great mystic yogés desire to see. He was confident that on that day all
the sinful reactions of his past life would be finished and his fortunate human form
of life would be successful. Akrüra also considered that he was very much favored by
Kaàsa, who was sending him to bring back Kåñëa and Balaräma and thus enabling
him to see the Lord. Akrüra continued to consider that formerly great sages and
saintly persons were liberated from the material world simply by seeing the shining
nails of the lotus feet of Kåñëa.
“That Supreme Personality of Godhead has now come just like an ordinary human
being, and it is my great fortune to be able to see Him face to face,” Akrüra thought.
He was thrilled with expectations of seeing the very lotus feet which are worshiped
by great demigods like Brahmä, Närada, and Lord Çiva, which traverse the ground of
Våndävana, and which touch the breasts of the gopés covered with tinges of
kuìkuma. He thought, “I am so fortunate that I will be able to see those very lotus
feet on this day, and certainly I shall be able to see the beautiful face of Kåñëa, which
is marked on the forehead and the nose with tilaka. And I shall also see His smile
and His curling black hair. I can be sure of this opportunity because I see that today
the deer are passing on my right side. Today it will be possible for me to actually see
the beauty of the spiritual kingdom of Viñëuloka because Kåñëa is the Supreme
Viñëu, and He has advented Himself out of His own good will. He is the reservoir of
all beauty; therefore my eyes will be filled today.”
Akrüra knew beyond doubt that Lord Kåñëa is the Supreme Viñëu. Lord Viñëu
glances over the material energy, and thus the cosmic manifestation comes into
being. And although Lord Viñëu is the creator of this material world, He is free, by
His own energy, from the influence of material energy. By His internal potency He
can pierce the darkness of material energy. Similarly, Kåñëa the original Viñëu, by
expansion of His internal potency, created the inhabitants of Våndävana. In the
Brahma-saàhitä it is also confirmed that the paraphernalia and abode of Kåñëa are
expansions of His internal potency. The same internal potency is exhibited on earth
as Våndävana, where Kåñëa enjoys Himself with His parents and in the company of
His friends, the cowherd boys and gopés. By the statement of Akrüra, it is clear that,
since Kåñëa is transcendental to the modes of material nature, the inhabitants of
Våndävana, who are engaged in loving service of the Lord, are also transcendental.
Akrüra also considered the necessity of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. He
thought that the transcendental activities, instructions, qualities and pastimes of
Kåñëa are all for the good fortune of people in general. The people can remain
constantly in Kåñëa consciousness by discussing the Lord’s transcendental form,
qualities, pastimes, and paraphernalia. By doing so, the whole universe can actually
live auspiciously and advance peacefully. But without Kåñëa consciousness,
civilization is but a decoration for a dead body. A dead body may be decorated very
nicely, but without consciousness such decorations are useless. Human society
without Kåñëa consciousness is useless and lifeless.
Akrüra thought, “That Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, has now appeared as
one of the descendants of the Yadu dynasty. The principles of religion are His
enacted laws. Those who are abiding by such laws are the demigods, and those who
are not abiding are demons. He has advented Himself to give protection to the
demigods, who are very obedient to the laws of the Supreme Lord. The demigods and
the devotees of the Lord take pleasure in abiding by the laws of Kåñëa, and Kåñëa
takes pleasure in giving them all sorts of protection. These activities of Kåñëa, His
protection of the devotees and killing the demons, as confirmed in the Bhagavadgétä,
are always good for men to hear and narrate. The glorious activities of the Lord
will ever increasingly be chanted by the devotees and demigods.
“Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the spiritual master of all spiritual
masters; He is the deliverer of all fallen souls and the proprietor of the three worlds.
Anyone is able to see Him by eyes smeared with love of Godhead. Today I shall be
able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who by His transcendental beauty
has attracted the goddess of fortune to live with Him perpetually. As soon as I arrive
in Våndävana, I will get down from this chariot and fall prostrate to offer my
obeisances to the Supreme Lord, the master of material nature and all living entities.
The lotus feet of Kåñëa are always worshiped by great mystic yogés, so I shall also
worship His lotus feet and become one of His friends in Våndävana like the cowherd
boys. When I bow down before Lord Kåñëa in that way, certainly He will place His
fearless lotus hand on my head. His hand is offered to all conditioned souls who take
shelter under His lotus feet. Kåñëa is the ultimate goal of life for all people who fear
material existence, and certainly when I see Him He will give me the shelter of His
lotus feet. I am aspiring for the touch of His lotus-like hands on my head.”
In this way Akrüra expected blessings from the hand of Kåñëa. He knew that Indra,
who is the King of heaven and the master of the three worlds—the upper, middle,
and lower planetary systems—was blessed by the Lord simply for his offering a little
water which Kåñëa accepted. Similarly, Bali Mahäräja gave only three feet of land in
charity to Vämanadeva, and he also offered a little water which Lord Vämanadeva
accepted, and thereby Bali Mahäräja attained the position of Indra. When the gopés
were dancing with Kåñëa in the räsa dance, they became fatigued, and Kåñëa
smeared His hand, which is as fragrant as a lotus flower, over the pearl-like drops of
perspiration on the faces of the gopés, and immediately they became refreshed. Thus
Akrüra was expecting benediction from that supreme hand of Kåñëa. Kåñëa’s hand is
capable of bestowing benediction to all kinds of men if they take to Kåñëa
consciousness. If one wants material happiness like the king of heaven, he can derive
that benediction from the hand of Kåñëa; if one wants liberation from the pangs of
material existence, he can also get benediction from the hand of Kåñëa; and if one in
pure transcendental love for Kåñëa wants personal association and the touch of His
transcendental body, he can also gain benediction from His hand.
Akrüra was afraid, however, of being deputed by Kaàsa, the enemy of Kåñëa. He
thought, “I am going to see Kåñëa as a messenger of the enemy.” And at the same
time, he thought, “Kåñëa is in each and everyone’s heart as the Supersoul, so He must
know my heart.” Although Akrüra was trusted by the enemy of Kåñëa, his heart was
clear. He was a pure devotee of Kåñëa. He risked Kaàsa’s wrath just to meet Kåñëa.
He was certain that although he was going as a representative of Kaàsa, Kåñëa
would not accept him as an enemy. “Even though I am on a sinful mission, being
deputed by Kaàsa, when I approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I shall
stand before Him with all humility and folded hands. Surely, He will be pleased with
my devotional attitude, and maybe He will smile lovingly and look upon me and
thereby free me from all kinds of sinful reaction. I shall then be on the platform of
transcendental bliss and knowledge. Since Kåñëa knows my heart, certainly when I
approach Him, He will embrace me. I am not only one of the members of the Yadu
dynasty, but I am an unalloyed pure devotee. By His merciful embrace, my body, my
heart and soul will be completely cleansed of the actions and reactions of my past
life. When our bodies touch, I will immediately stand up with folded hands, with all
humility. Certainly Kåñëa and Balaräma will call me, ‘Akrüra, Uncle,’ and at that
time my whole life will be glorious. Unless one is recognized by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, his life cannot be successful.”
It is clearly stated here that one should try to be recognized by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by one’s service and devotion, without which the human
form of life is condemned. As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, the Supreme Lord,
Personality of Godhead, is equal to everyone. He has no friends and no enemies. But
He is inclined to a devotee who renders Him service with devotional love. The
Bhagavad-gétä also declares that the Supreme Lord is responsive to the devotional
service rendered by the devotee. Akrüra thought that Kåñëa was like the desire tree
in the heavenly planets which gives fruit according to the desire of the worshiper.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is also the source of everything. A devotee
must know how to render service unto Him and thus be recognized by Him. In the
Caitanya-caritämåta it is therefore explained that one should serve both the spiritual
master and Kåñëa simultaneously and in that way make progress in Kåñëa
consciousness. Service rendered to Kåñëa under the direction of the spiritual master
is bona fide service because the spiritual master is the manifested representative of
Kåñëa. Çré Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkur says that when one satisfies the spiritual
master, he satisfies the Supreme Lord. It is exactly like service in a government
office. One has to work under the supervision of the departmental head. If the
supervisor of the department is satisfied with the service of a particular person, a
promotion and increase in pay will automatically come.
Akrüra then thought, “When Kåñëa and Balaräma are pleased with my prayers,
certainly They will take my hand, receive me within Their homes and offer me all
kinds of respectable hospitalities, and They will surely ask me of the activities of
Kaàsa and his friends.”
In this way, Akrüra, who was the son of Çvaphalka, meditated on Çré Kåñëa on his
journey from Mathurä. He reached Våndävana by the end of the day. Akrüra passed
the whole journey without knowing how long it took. When he reached Våndävana,
the sun was setting. As soon as he entered the boundary of Våndävana, he saw the
footprints of the cows and Lord Kåñëa’s footprints, impressed with the signs of His
sole, the flag, trident, thunderbolt and lotus flower. Upon seeing the footprints of
Kåñëa, Akrüra immediately jumped down from the chariot, out of respect. He
became overwhelmed with all the symptoms of ecstasy; he wept, and his body
trembled. Out of extreme jubilation upon seeing the dust touched by the lotus feet of
Kåñëa, Akrüra fell flat on his face and began to roll on the ground.
Akrüra’s journey to Våndävana is exemplary. One who intends to visit Våndävana
should follow the ideal footsteps of Akrüra and always think of the pastimes and
activities of the Lord. As soon as one reaches the boundary of Våndävana, he should
immediately smear the dust of Våndävana over his body without thinking of his
material position and prestige. Narottamadäsa Öhäkur has sung in his celebrated
song, Viñaya-chäriyä kave çuddha have mana: “When my mind will be purified after
leaving the contamination of material sense enjoyment, I shall be able to visit
Våndävana.” Actually, one cannot go to Våndävana by purchasing a ticket. The
process of going to Våndävana is shown by Akrüra.
When Akrüra entered Våndävana, he saw Kåñëa and Balaräma engaged in
supervising the milking of the cows. Kåñëa was dressed in yellow garments and
Balaräma in bluish. Akrüra also saw that Kåñëa’s eyes were exactly like the
beautifully grown lotus flower of the autumn season. He saw both Kåñëa and
Balaräma in the spring of Their youth. Although both were similar in bodily
features, Kåñëa was blackish in complexion, whereas Balaräma was whitish. Both
were the shelter of the goddess of fortune. They had well-constructed bodies,
beautiful hands and pleasing faces, and They were as strong as elephants. Now, after
seeing Their footprints, Akrüra actually saw Kåñëa and Balaräma, face to face.
Although They were the most influential personalities, They were glancing at him
with smiling faces. Akrüra could understand that both Kåñëa and Balaräma had
returned from tending cows in the forest; They had taken Their baths and were
dressed with fresh clothing and garlanded with flowers and necklaces made of
valuable jewels. Their bodies were smeared with the pulp of sandalwood. Akrüra
greatly appreciated the aroma of flowers and sandalwood and Their bodily presence.
He considered himself very fortunate to see Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and His plenary expansion, Balaräma, face to face, for he knew that They
were the original personalities of the creation.
As stated in the Brahma-saàhitä, Kåñëa is the original Personality of Godhead and
the cause of all causes. Akrüra could understand that the Supreme Personality of
Godhead appeared personally for the welfare of His creation, to reestablish the
principles of religion and to annihilate the demons. With Their bodily effulgence,
the brothers were dissipating all the darkness of the world, as if They were
mountains of sapphire and silver. Without hesitating, Akrüra immediately got down
from his chariot and fell flat, just like a rod, before Kåñëa and Balaräma. Upon
touching the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he became
overwhelmed with transcendental bliss; his voice choked up and he could not speak.
Due to Kåñëa’s transcendental presence, incessant torrents of tears fell from his eyes.
He remained stunned in ecstasy, as if devoid of all powers to see and speak. Lord
Kåñëa, who is very kind to His devotees, raised Akrüra with His hand and embraced
him. It appeared that Lord Kåñëa was very pleased with Akrüra. Balaräma also
embraced Akrüra. Taking him by the hand, Kåñëa and Balaräma brought him to
Their sitting room where They offered him a very nice sitting place and water for
washing his feet. They also worshiped him with suitable presentations of honey and
other ingredients. When Akrüra was thus comfortably seated, both Kåñëa and
Balaräma offered Him a cow in charity and then brought very palatable dishes of
eatables, and Akrüra accepted them. When Akrüra finished eating, Balaräma gave
him betel nut and spices, as well as pulp of sandalwood, just to make him more
pleased and comfortable. The Vedic system of receiving a guest was completely
observed by Lord Kåñëa Himself to teach all others how to receive a guest at home. It
is a Vedic injunction that even if a guest is an enemy, he should be received so well
that he does not apprehend any danger from the host. If the host is a poor man, he
should at least offer a straw mat as a sitting place and a glass of water to drink. Kåñëa
and Balaräma welcomed Akrüra just befitting his exalted position.
After Akrüra was thus properly received and seated, Nanda Mahäräja, the foster
father of Kåñëa, said, “My dear Akrüra, what shall I inquire from you? I know that
you are being protected by Kaàsa, who is most cruel and demoniac. His protection is
just like the slaughterhouse keeper’s protection of animals he will kill in the future.
Kaàsa is so selfish that he has killed the sons of his own sister, so how can I honestly
believe that he is protecting the citizens of Mathurä?” This statement is most
significant. If the political or executive heads of the state are simply interested in
themselves, they can never look after the welfare of the citizens.
As Nanda Mahäräja spoke to Akrüra with pleasing words, Akrüra forgot all the
fatigue of his day’s journey from Mathurä to Våndävana.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-seventh Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Akrüra’s Arrival in Våndävana.”
38 / Akrüra’s Return Journey and His Visiting of
Viñëuloka Within the Yamunä River
Akrüra was warmly received by Lord Kåñëa and Nanda Mahäräja and offered a
resting place for the night. In the meantime, the two brothers Balaräma and Kåñëa
went to take Their supper. Akrüra sat on his bed and began to reflect that all the
desires which he had anticipated while coming from Mathurä to Våndävana had
been fulfilled. Lord Kåñëa is the husband of the goddess of fortune; being pleased
with His pure devotee, He can offer whatever the devotee desires. But the pure
devotee does not ask anything from the Lord for his personal benefit.
After taking Their supper, Kåñëa and Balaräma came to bid goodnight to Akrüra.
Kåñëa asked about His maternal uncle, Kaàsa, “How is he dealing with his friends?”
And He asked, “How are my relatives?” He also inquired into Kaàsa’s plans. The
Supreme Personality of Godhead then informed Akrüra that his presence was very
much welcome. He inquired from him whether all his relatives and friends were well
and free from all kinds of ailments. Kåñëa stated that He was very sorry that His
maternal uncle Kaàsa was the head of the kingdom; He said that Kaàsa was the
greatest anachronism in the whole system of government and that they could not
expect any welfare for the citizens while he ruled. Then Kåñëa said, “My father has
undergone much tribulation simply from My being his son. For this reason also he
has lost many other sons. I think Myself so fortunate that you have come as My
friend and relative. My good friend Akrüra, please tell Me the purpose of your
coming to Våndävana.”
After this inquiry, Akrüra, who belonged to the dynasty of Yadu, explained the
recent events in Mathurä, including Kaàsa’s attempt to kill Vasudeva, the father of
Kåñëa. He related the things which happened after the disclosure by Närada that
Kåñëa was the son of Vasudeva. Sitting by him in the house of Nanda Mahäräja,
Akrüra narrated all the stories regarding Kaàsa. He told how Närada met Kaàsa
and how he himself was deputed by Kaàsa to come to Våndävana. Akrüra explained
to Kåñëa that Närada had told Kaàsa all about Kåñëa’s being transferred from
Mathurä to Våndävana just after His birth and about His killing all the demons sent
by Kaàsa. Akrüra then explained to Kåñëa the purpose of his coming to Våndävana:
to take Him back to Mathurä. After hearing of these arrangements, Balaräma and
Kåñëa, who are very expert in killing opponents, mildly laughed at the plans of
Kaàsa.
They asked Nanda Mahäräja to invite all the cowherd boys to go to Mathurä to
participate in the ceremony known as Dhanur-yajïa. Kaàsa wanted them all to go
there to participate in the function. On Kåñëa’s word, Nanda Mahäräja at once
called for the cowherd boys and asked them to collect all kinds of milk preparations
and milk to present in the ceremony. He also sent instructions to the police chief of
Våndävana to tell all the inhabitants about Kaàsa’s great Dhanur-yajïa function
and invite them to join. Nanda Mahäräja informed the cowherd boys that they
would start the next morning. They therefore arranged for the cows and bulls to
carry them all to Mathurä.
When the gopés saw that Akrüra had come to take Kåñëa and Balaräma away to
Mathurä, they became overwhelmed with anxiety. Some of them became so
aggrieved that their faces turned black, and they began to breathe warmly and had
palpitations of the heart. They discovered that their hair and dress immediately
loosened. Hearing the news that Kåñëa and Balaräma were leaving for Mathurä,
others who were engaged in household duties stopped working as if they had
forgotten everything, like a person who is called forth to die and leave this world at
once. Others immediately fainted due to separation from Kåñëa. Remembering His
attractive smile and His talks with them, the gopés became overwhelmed with grief.
They all remembered the characteristics of the Personality of Godhead, how He
moved within the area of Våndävana and how, with joking words, He attracted all
their hearts. Thinking of Kåñëa and of their imminent separation from Him, the
gopés assembled together with heavy beating hearts. Completely absorbed in thought
of Kåñëa, tears fell from their eyes. They began to converse as follows.
“O Providence, you are so cruel! It appears that you do not know how to show mercy
to others. By your arrangement, friends contact one another, but without fulfilling
their desires you separate them. This is exactly like children’s play that has no
meaning. It is very abominable that you arrange to show us beautiful Kåñëa, whose
bluish curling hair beautifies His broad forehead and sharp nose, who is always
smiling to minimize all contention in this material world, and then arrange to
separate Him from us. O Providence, you are so cruel! But most astonishingly you
appear now as ‘Akrüra,’ which means ‘not cruel.’ In the beginning we appreciated
your workmanship in giving us these eyes to see the beautiful face of Kåñëa, but now,
just like a foolish creature, you are trying to take out our eyes so we may not see
Kåñëa here again. Kåñëa, the son of Nanda Mahäräja, is also very cruel! He must
always have new friends; He does not like to keep friendship for a long time with
anyone. We gopés of Våndävana, having left our homes, friends, and relatives, have
become Kåñëa’s maidservants, but He is neglecting us and going away. He does not
even look upon us, although we are completely surrendered unto Him. Now all the
young girls in Mathurä will have the opportunity. They are expecting Kåñëa’s arrival,
and they will enjoy His sweet smiling face and will drink its honey. Although we
know that Kåñëa is very steady and determined, we are threatened that as soon as He
sees the beautiful faces of the young girls in Mathurä, He will forget Himself. We
fear He will become controlled by them and will forget us, for we are simple village
girls. He will no longer be kind to us. We therefore do not expect Kåñëa to return to
Våndävana. He will not leave the company of the girls in Mathurä.”
The gopés began to imagine the great functions in the city of Mathurä. Kåñëa would
pass through the streets, and the ladies and young girls of the city would see Him
from the balconies of their respective houses. Mathurä City contained different
communities, known then as Daçärha, Bhoja, Andhaka and Sätvata. All these
communities were different branches of the same family in which Kåñëa appeared,
namely the Yadu dynasty. They were also expecting the arrival of Kåñëa. It had
already been ascertained that Kåñëa, who is the rest of the goddess of fortune and
reservoir of all pleasure and transcendental qualities, was going to visit Mathurä
City.
The gopés then began to condemn the activities of Akrüra. They stated that he was
taking Kåñëa, who was more dear than the dearest to them and who was the pleasure
of their eyes. He was being taken from their sight without their being informed or
solaced by Akrüra. Akrüra should not have been so merciless but should have taken
compassion on them. The gopés went on to say: “The most astonishing feature is that
Kåñëa, the son of Nanda, without consideration, has already seated Himself on the
chariot. From this it appears that Kåñëa is not very intelligent. Yet He may be very
intelligent—but He is not very civilized. Not only Kåñëa, but all the cowherd men
are so callous that they are already yoking the bulls and calves for the journey to
Mathurä. The elderly persons in Våndävana are also merciless; they do not take our
plight into consideration and stop Kåñëa’s journey to Mathurä. Even the demigods
are very unkind to us; they are not impeding His going to Mathurä.”
The gopés prayed to the demigods to create some natural disturbance, such as a
hurricane, storm or heavy rainfall, so that Kåñëa could not go to Mathurä. They then
began to consider: “Despite our elderly parents and guardians, we shall personally
stop Kåñëa from going to Mathurä. We have no other alternative than to take this
direct action. Everyone has gone against us to take away Kåñëa from our sight.
Without Him we cannot live for a moment.” The gopés thus decided to obstruct the
passage through which the chariot of Kåñëa was supposed to pass. They began to talk
among themselves: “We have passed a very long night—which seemed only a
moment—engaged in the räsa dance with Kåñëa. We were looking at His sweet smile
and were embracing and talking. Now, how shall we live even for a moment if He
goes away from us? At the end of the day, in the evening, along with His elder
brother Balaräma, Kåñëa would return home with His friends. His face would be
smeared with the dust raised by the hooves of the cows, and He would smile and play
on His flute and look upon us so kindly. How shall we be able to forget Him? How
shall we be able to forget Kåñëa, who is our life and soul? He has already taken away
our hearts in so many ways throughout our days and nights, and if He goes away,
there is no possibility of our continuing to live.” Thinking like this, the gopés became
more and more griefstricken at Kåñëa’s leaving Våndävana. They could not check
their minds, and they began to cry loudly, calling the different names of Kåñëa, “O
dear Dämodara! Dear Mädhava!”
The gopés cried all night before the departure of Kåñëa. As soon as the sun rose,
Akrüra finished his morning bath, got on the chariot and began to start for Mathurä
with Kåñëa and Balaräma. Nanda Mahäräja and the cowherd men got up on bullock
carts, after loading them with milk preparations, such as yogurt, milk, and ghee,
filled in big earthen pots, and began to follow the chariot of Kåñëa and Balaräma. In
spite of Kåñëa’s asking them not to obstruct their way, all the gopés surrounded the
chariot and stood up to see Kåñëa with pitiable eyes. Kåñëa was very much affected
upon seeing the plight of the gopés, but His duty was to start for Mathurä, for this
was foretold by Närada. Kåñëa, therefore, consoled the gopés. He told them that they
should not be aggrieved; He was coming back very soon after finishing His business.
But they could not be persuaded to disperse. The chariot, however, began to head
west, and as it proceeded, the minds of the gopés followed it as far as possible. They
watched the flag on the chariot as long as it was visible; finally they could see only
the dust of the chariot in the distance. The gopés did not move from their places but
stood until the chariot could not be seen at all. They remained standing still, as if
they were painted pictures. All the gopés decided that Kåñëa was not returning
immediately, and with greatly disappointed hearts, they returned to their respective
homes. Being greatly disturbed by the absence of Kåñëa, they simply thought all day
and night about His pastimes and thus derived some consolation.
The Lord, accompanied by Akrüra and Balaräma, drove the chariot with great speed
towards the bank of the Yamunä. Simply by taking a bath in the Yamunä, anyone
can diminish the reaction of his sinful activities. Both Kåñëa and Balaräma took
Their baths in the river and washed Their faces. After drinking the transparent
crystal clear water of the Yamunä, They took Their seats again on the chariot. The
chariot was standing underneath the shade of big trees, and both brothers sat down
there. Akrüra then took Their permission to also take bath in the Yamunä.
According to Vedic ritual, after taking bath in the river, one should stand at least
half submerged and murmur the Gäyatré mantra. While he was standing in the river,
Akrüra suddenly saw both Balaräma and Kåñëa within the water. He was surprised to
see Them there because he was confident that They were sitting on the chariot.
Confused, he immediately came out of the water and went to see where the boys
were, and he was very surprised to see that They were sitting on the chariot as
before. When he saw Them on the chariot, he began to wonder whether he saw
Them in the water. He therefore went back to the river. This time he saw not only
Balaräma and Kåñëa there, but many of the demigods and all the Siddhas, Cäraëas,
and Gandharvas. They were all standing before the Lord, who was lying down. He
also saw the Çeña Näga with thousands of hoods. Lord Çeña Näga was covered with
bluish garments, and His necks were all white. The white necks of Çeña Näga
appeared exactly like snowcapped mountains. On the curved lap of Çeña Näga,
Akrüra saw Kåñëa sitting very soberly, with four hands. His eyes were like the
reddish petals of the lotus flower.
In other words, after returning, Akrüra saw Balaräma turned into Çeña Näga and
Kåñëa turned into Mahä-Viñëu. He saw the fourhanded Supreme Personality of
Godhead, smiling very beautifully. He was very pleasing to all and was looking
towards everyone. He appeared beautiful with His raised nose, broad forehead,
spread-up ears and reddish lips. His arms, reaching to the knees, were very strongly
built. His shoulders were high, His chest very broad and shaped like the conchshell.
His navel was very deep, and His abdomen was marked with three lines. His waist
was broad and big, resembling the hips of a woman, and His thighs resembled the
trunks of elephants. The other parts of His legs, the joints and lower extremities,
were all very beautiful, the nails of His feet were dazzling, and His toes were as
beautiful as the petals of the lotus flower. His helmet was decorated with very
valuable jewels. There was a nice belt around the waist, and He wore a sacred thread
across His broad chest. Bangles were on His hands and armlets on the upper portion
of His arms. He wore bells on His ankles. He possessed dazzling beauty, and His palms
were like the lotus flower. He was still more beautiful with different emblems of the
Viñëu-mürti, the conchshell, club, disc and lotus flower, which He held in His four
hands. His chest was marked with the particular signs of Viñëu, and He wore fresh
flower garlands. All in all, He was very beautiful to look at. Akrüra also saw His
Lordship surrounded by intimate associates like the four Kumäras, Sanaka,
Sanätana, Sananda and Sanatkumära, and other associates like Sunanda and Nanda,
as well as demigods like Brahmä and Lord Çiva. The nine great learned sages were
there, and devotees like Prahläda and Närada were engaged in offering prayers to
the Lord with clean hearts and pure words. After seeing the transcendental
Personality of Godhead, Akrüra immediately became overwhelmed with great
devotion, and all over his body there was transcendental shivering. Although for the
moment he was bewildered, he retained his clear consciousness and bowed down his
head before the Lord. With folded hands and faltering voice, he began to offer
prayers to the Lord.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-eighth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Akrüra’s Return Journey and His Visiting of Viñëuloka Within the Yamunä River.”
39 / Prayers by Akrüra
Akrüra offered his prayers as follows: “My dear Lord, I here pay my respectful
obeisances unto You because You are the supreme cause of all causes and the original
inexhaustible Personality, Näräyaëa. From Your navel a lotus flower grows, and from
that lotus, Brahmä, the creator of this universe, is born. Since Brahmä is the cause of
this universe, You are the cause of all causes. All the elements of this cosmic
manifestation—earth, water, fire, air, ether, ego and the total material energy, as
well as nature, the marginal energy, the living entities, mind, senses, the sense
objects and the demigods who control the affairs of the cosmos—are all produced
from Your body. You are the Supersoul of everything, but no one knows Your
transcendental form. Everyone within this material world is influenced by the modes
of material nature. Demigods like Lord Brahmä, being covered by the influence of
material nature, do not exactly know Your transcendental existence beyond the
cosmic manifestation of the three modes of material nature. Great sages and mystics
worship You as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original cause of all living
entities, all cosmic manifestation and all demigods. They worship You as allinclusive.
Some of the learned brähmaëas also worship You by observing the
ritualistic ceremony of the Åg-veda. They offer different kinds of sacrifices in the
names of different gods. And there are others also who are fond of worshiping
transcendental knowledge. They are very peaceful and wish to give up all kinds of
material activities. They engage themselves in the philosophical search for You,
known as jïäna-yoga.
“There are devotees also known as Bhägavatas who worship You as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. After being properly initiated in the method of Päïcarätra,
they decorate their bodies with tilaka and engage in worshiping Your different forms
of Viñëu mürti. There are others also, known as Çaivites, followers of the different
äcäryas, who worship You in the form of Lord Çiva.”
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that worship of demigods is also indirectly worship
of the Supreme Lord. But such worship is not orthodox, because the worshipable
Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Näräyaëa. Demigods such as Brahmä
and Çiva are incarnations of the material qualities, which are also emanations from
the body of Näräyaëa. Actually, there was no one existing before the creation except
Näräyaëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The worship of a demigod is not on
the level with worship of Näräyaëa.
Akrüra said, “Although the minds of those who are devotees of the demigods are
fixed on a particular demigod, because You are the Supersoul of all living entities,
including the demigods, worship of demigods indirectly goes to You. Sometimes,
after flowing down from the mountains during the rainy season, small rivers fail to
reach the sea; some reach the sea and some do not. Similarly, the worshipers of the
demigods may or may not reach You. There is no guarantee. Their success depends
on the strength of their worship.”
According to Vedic principle, when a worshiper worships a particular demigod, he
also conducts some ritual for Näräyaëa, Yajïeçvara, for it is mentioned in the
Bhagavad-gétä that demigods cannot fulfill the desires of their worshipers without
the sanction of Näräyaëa, or Kåñëa. The exact words used in the Bhagavad-gétä are
mayaiva vihitän hi tän, which means that the demigods can award some benediction
after being authorized by the Supreme Lord. When the demigod worshiper comes to
his senses, he can reason as follows: “The demigod can offer benediction only after
being empowered by the Supreme Lord, so why not worship the Supreme Lord
directly?” Worshipers of the demigods may come to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, but others, who take the demigod as all in all, cannot reach the ultimate
goal.
Akrüra continued to pray: “My dear Lord, the whole world is filled with the three
material modes of nature, namely, goodness, passion and ignorance. Everyone within
this material world is covered by these modes, from Lord Brahmä down to the
immovable plants and trees. My dear Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto
You, because You are beyond the influence of the three modes. Except for You,
everyone is being carried away by the waves of these modes. My dear Lord, fire is
Your mouth, the earth is Your feet, the sun is Your eye, the sky is Your navel, and
the directions are Your ears. Space is Your head, the demigods are Your arms, the
oceans and seas are Your abdomen, and the winds and air are Your strength and
vitality. All the plants and herbs are the hair on Your body; the clouds are your hair,
the mountains are Your bones and nails, the days and nights are the twinkling of
Your eyelids; Prajäpati (the progenitor) is Your genitals, and the rains are Your
semina.
“My dear Lord, all living entities, including different grades of demigods, different
grades of overlords, kings and other living entities, are supposed to be resting in You.
As part and parcel of the big unit, one cannot know You by experimental
knowledge. One can simply understand Your transcendental existence as the great
ocean in which different grades of living entities are included, or as the fruit
kadamba, out of which small mosquitoes come. My dear Lord, whatever eternal forms
and incarnations You accept and which appear in this world are meant for relieving
the living entities from their ignorance, illusion and lamentation. All people,
therefore, can appreciate the incarnations and pastimes of Your Lordship and
eternally glorify Your activities. No one can estimate how many forms and
incarnations You have, nor can anyone estimate the number of universes that are
existing within You.
“Let me therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto the incarnation of fish, who
appeared in devastation, although Your Lordship is the cause of all causes. Let me
offer my respectful obeisances unto the Hayagréva incarnation who killed the two
demons, Madhu and Kaiöabha; let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You who
appeared as the gigantic tortoise and held up the great mountain Mandara, and who
appeared as the boar who rescued the earth planet which had fallen into the water of
Garbhodaka. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Your Lordship, who
appeared as Nåsiàhadeva, who delivered all kinds of devotees from the fearful
condition of atheistic atrocities. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You who
appeared as Vämanadeva and covered the three worlds simply by expanding Your
lotus feet. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You who appeared as the Lord
of the Bhågus in order to kill all the infidel administrators of the world. And let me
offer my respectful obeisances unto You who appeared as Lord Räma to kill demons
like Rävaëa. You are worshiped by all devotees as the chief of the Raghu dynasty,
Lord Rämacandra. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto You who appeared as
Lord Väsudeva, Lord Saìkarñaëa, Lord Pradyumna and Lord Aniruddha. Let me
offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who appeared as Lord Buddha in order to
bewilder the atheistic and demoniac. And let me offer my respectful obeisances unto
You, who appear as Kalki in order to chastise the so-called royal order degraded to
the abominable condition of the mlecchas, who are below the jurisdiction of Vedic
regulative principles.
“My dear Lord, everyone within this material world is conditioned by Your illusory
energy. Under the impression of false identification and false possession, everyone is
transmigrating from one body to another in the path of fruitive activities and their
reactions. My dear Lord, I am also no exception to these conditioned souls. I am
falsely thinking myself happy in possessing my home, wife, children, state, property
and effects. In this way I am acting as if in a dreamland because none of these are
permanent. I am a fool to be always absorbed in such thoughts, accepting them as
permanent and truth. My dear Lord, due to my false identification, I have accepted
everything which is nonpermanent, such as this material body, which is not spiritual
and is the source of all kinds of miserable conditions. Being bewildered by such
concepts of life, I am always absorbed in thoughts of duality, and I have forgotten
You who are the reservoir of all transcendental pleasure. I am bereft of Your
transcendental association and am just like a foolish creature who goes in search of
water in the desert, leaving the water spot which is covered by water-nourished
vegetables. The conditioned souls want to quench their thirst, but they do not know
where to find water. They give up the spot where there is actually a reservoir of
water and run into the desert where there is no water. My dear Lord, I am
completely incapable of controlling my mind, which is now driven by the unbridled
senses and is attracted by fruitive activities and their results. My dear Lord, Your
lotus feet cannot be appreciated by any person in the conditional stage of material
existence, but somehow or other I have come near Your lotus feet, and I consider
this to be Your causeless mercy upon me. You can act in any way because You are the
supreme controller. I can thus understand that when a person becomes eligible to be
delivered from the path of repeated birth and death, it is only by Your causeless
mercy that he further progresses to become attached to Your causeless devotional
service.”
Akrüra fell down before the Lord and said, “My dear Lord, Your transcendental
eternal form is full of knowledge. Simply by concentrating one’s mind upon Your
form, one can understand in full knowledge everything that be, because You are the
original source of all knowledge. You are the supreme powerful, possessing all kinds
of energies. You are the Supreme Brahman and the Supreme Person, supreme
controller and master of the material energies. I offer my respectful obeisances unto
You because You are Väsudeva, the resting place of all creation. You are the allpervading
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and You are also the Supreme Soul
residing in everyone’s heart and giving direction to act. Now, my Lord, I am
completely surrendered unto You. Please give me Your protection.”
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Thirty-ninth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Prayers by Akrüra.”
40 / Kåñëa Enters Mathurä
While Akrüra was offering his prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
Lord disappeared from the water, exactly as an expert dramatic actor changes his
dress and assumes his original feature. After the Viñëu-mürti disappeared, Akrüra
got out of the water. Finishing the rest of his ritualistic performance, he went near
the chariot of Balaräma and Kåñëa and was struck with wonder. Kåñëa asked
whether he had seen something wonderful within the water or in space. Akrüra said,
“My dear Lord, all wonderful things that are happening within this world, either in
the sky or in the water or on the land, are factually appearing in Your universal
form. So when I have seen You, what wonderful things have I not seen?” This
statement confirms the Vedic version that one who knows Kåñëa knows everything,
and one who has seen Kåñëa has seen everything, regardless of how wonderful a
thing may be. “My dear Lord,” Akrüra continued, “there cannot be anything more
wonderful than Your transcendental form. When I have seen Your transcendental
form, what is there left to see?”
After saying this, Akrüra immediately started the chariot. By the end of the day,
they had almost reached the precincts of Mathurä. When passing from Våndävana to
Mathurä, all passersby along the way who saw Kåñëa and Balaräma could not help
but look at Them again and again. In the meantime, the other inhabitants of
Våndävana, headed by Nanda and Upananda, had already reached Mathurä by going
through forests and rivers, and they were awaiting the arrival of Kåñëa and
Balaräma. Upon reaching the entrance to Mathurä, Kåñëa and Balaräma got down
from the chariot and shook hands with Akrüra. Kåñëa informed Akrüra, “You may
go home now because We shall enter Mathurä along with Our associates.” Akrüra
replied, “My dear Lord, I cannot go to Mathurä alone, leaving You aside. I am Your
surrendered servant. Please do not try to avoid me. Please, come along with me, with
Your elder brother and cowherd boy friends, and sanctify my house. My dear Lord, if
You come, my home will be sanctified by the dust of Your lotus feet. The water
emanating from the perspiration of Your lotus feet, namely the Ganges, purifies
everyone, including the forefathers, the fire-god and all other demigods. King Bali
Mahäräja has become famous simply by washing Your lotus feet, and all his relatives
have achieved the heavenly planet due to his contact with the Ganges water. Bali
Mahäräja himself enjoyed all material opulences and later on was elevated to the
highest exalted position of liberation. The Ganges water not only sanctifies the
three worlds but is carried on the head of Lord Çiva. O Supreme Lord of all lords! O
master of the universe! I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.”
On hearing this, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, replied, “Akrüra, I
shall surely come to your home with My elder brother Balaräma, but only after
killing all the demons who are envious of the Yadu dynasty. In this way I shall please
all My relatives.” Akrüra became a little disappointed by these words of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, but he could not disregard the order. He therefore entered
Mathurä and informed Kaàsa about the arrival of Kåñëa, and then he entered his
own home.
After the departure of Akrüra, Lord Kåñëa, Balaräma and the cowherd boys entered
Mathurä to see the city. They observed that the gate of Mathurä was made of firstclass
marble, very well constructed, and the doors were made of pure gold. There
were gorgeous gardens all around, and the whole city was encircled by cannons so
that no enemy could enter very easily. They saw that all the crossings of the roads
were decorated with gold. And there were many rich men’s houses, all appearing
symmetrical, as if constructed by one engineer. The houses were decorated with
costly jewels, and each and every house had nice compounds of trees, fruits and
flowers. The gardens, corridors and verandas of the houses were decorated with silk
cloth and embroidery work in jewels and pearls. In front of the balcony windows
were pigeons and peacocks walking and cooing. All the grain dealers’ shops within
the city were decorated with different kinds of flowers and garlands, newly grown
grass and blossoming roses. The central doors of the houses were decorated with
waterpots filled with water, and a mixture of water and yogurt was sprinkled all
around. There were flowers decorated with burning lamps of different sizes over the
doors, and there were also decorations of fresh mango leaves and silk festoons on all
the doors of the houses.
When the news spread that Kåñëa, Balaräma and the cowherd boys were within
Mathurä City, all the inhabitants gathered, and the ladies and girls immediately
went up to the roofs of the houses to see Them. They had been awaiting the arrival
of Kåñëa and Balaräma with great anxiety, and in their extreme eagerness to see
Kåñëa and Balaräma, the ladies did not dress themselves very properly. Some of them
placed their dress in the wrong place. Some anointed their eyes on one side only, and
some wore ankle bells only on one leg or wore only one earring. Thus in great haste,
not even decorated properly, they came to see Kåñëa from the roofs. Some of them
had been taking their lunch, but as soon as they heard that Kåñëa and Balaräma were
in the city, they left their eating and ran to the roof. Some of them were in the
bathroom, taking their baths, but without properly finishing their baths, they came
to see Kåñëa and Balaräma. Passing by very slowly and smiling, Lord Kåñëa
immediately stole their hearts. He who is the husband of the goddess of fortune
passed through the street like an elephant. For a very long time the women of
Mathurä had heard about Kåñëa and Balaräma and Their uncommon characteristics,
and they were very much attracted and eager to see Them. Now when they actually
saw Kåñëa and Balaräma passing on the street and saw Them sweetly smiling, the
ladies’ joy reached the point of ecstasy. When they actually saw Them with their
eyes, they took Kåñëa and Balaräma within their hearts and began to embrace Them
to their fullest desire. Their hairs stood up in ecstasy. They had heard of Kåñëa, but
they had never seen Him, and now their longing was relieved. After going up on the
roofs of the palaces of Mathurä, the ladies began to shower flowers upon Kåñëa and
Balaräma. When the brothers were passing through the streets, all the brähmaëas in
the neighborhood also went out with sandalwood and flowers and respectfully
welcomed Them to the city. All the residents of Mathurä began to talk among
themselves about the elevated and pious activities of the people of Våndävana. The
residents of Mathurä were surprised at the pious activities the cowherd men in
Våndävana must have performed in their previous lives to be able to see Kåñëa and
Balaräma daily as cowherd boys.
While Kåñëa and Balaräma were passing in this way, They saw a washerman and
dyer of clothing. Kåñëa was pleased to ask him for some nice clothing. He also
promised that if the washerman would deliver the nicest dyed cloth to Him, he
would be very happy, and all good fortune would be his. Kåñëa was neither beggar
nor was He in need of clothing, but by this request He indicated that everyone
should be ready to offer Kåñëa whatever He wants. That is the purpose of Kåñëa
consciousness.
Unfortunately, this washerman was a servant of Kaàsa and therefore could not
appreciate the demand of Lord Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is
the effect of bad association. He could have immediately delivered the clothing to
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who promised him all good fortune, but being
a servant of Kaàsa, the sinful demon could not accept the offer. Instead of being
pleased, he was very angry and refused the Lord’s request saying, “How is it that You
are asking clothing which is meant for the King?” The washerman then began to
instruct Kåñëa and Balaräma: “My dear boys, in the future don’t be so impudent as to
ask for things which belong to the King. Otherwise, You will be punished by the
government men. They will arrest You and punish You, and You will be in difficulty.
I have practical experience of this fact. Anyone who unlawfully wants to use the
King’s property is very severely punished.”
On hearing this, Lord Kåñëa, the son of Devaké, became very angry at the
washerman, and striking him with the upper portion of His hand, He separated the
man’s head from his body. The washerman fell down dead on the ground. In this way
Lord Kåñëa confirmed the statement that every limb of His body is capable of doing
everything He likes. Without a sword, but simply with His hand, He cut off the head
of the washerman. This is proof that the Supreme Lord is omnipotent. If He wants to
do something, He can do it without extraneous help.
After this ghastly incident, the employees of the washerman immediately dispersed,
leaving the clothing. Kåñëa and Balaräma took possession of it and dressed according
to Their choice; the rest of the clothes were offered to the cowherd boys, who also
used them as they desired. What they did not use remained there. They then
continued to proceed. In the meantime, a devotee-tailor took the opportunity of
service and prepared some nice clothes from the cloth for Kåñëa and Balaräma. Thus
being very nicely attired, Kåñëa and Balaräma looked like elephants dressed with
colored clothings on the full moon day of the dark moon. Kåñëa was very much
pleased with the tailor and gave him the benediction of särüpya-mukti, which means
that after leaving his body, he would be liberated and would attain a body exactly
like fourhanded Näräyaëa’s in the Vaikuëöha planets. He also granted him that as
long as he would live he would earn sufficient opulence to be able to enjoy sense
gratification. By this incident Kåñëa proved that those who are Kåñëa conscious
devotees will not be lacking material enjoyment or sense gratification. They will
have sufficient opportunity for such things, but after leaving this life they will be
allowed to enter the spiritual planets of Vaikuëöhaloka or Kåñëaloka, Goloka
Våndävana.
After dressing nicely, Kåñëa and Balaräma went to a florist of the name Sudämä. As
soon as They reached the precinct of his house, the florist immediately came out and
with great devotion fell down on his face to offer his respectful obeisances. He
offered a nice seat to Kåñëa and Balaräma and asked his assistant to bring out flowers
and betel nuts smeared with pulp of candana. The florist’s welcome greatly satisfied
the Lord.
The florist very humbly and submissively offered his prayers to the Lord, saying, “My
dear Lord, because You have come to my place, I think all my forefathers and all my
worshipable superiors are pleased and delivered. My dear Lord, You are the supreme
cause of all causes of this cosmic manifestation, but for the benefit of the residents of
this earthly planet, You have appeared with Your plenary portion to give protection
to Your devotees and annihilate the demons. You are equally disposed as the friend
of all living entities; You are the Supersoul, and You do not discriminate between
friend and enemy. Yet You are pleased to give Your devotees the special result of
their devotional activities. My Lord, I am praying that You please tell me whatever
You wish me to do, because I am Your eternal servant. If You will allow me to do
something, it will be a great favor to me.” The florist, Sudämä, was greatly pleased
within his heart by seeing Kåñëa and Balaräma in his place, and thus, as his choicest
desire, he made two exquisite garlands of various flowers and presented them to the
Lord. Both Kåñëa and Balaräma were very pleased with his sincere service, and
Kåñëa offered the florist His salutation and benediction, which He is always
prepared to bestow upon the surrendered souls. When the florist was offered
benediction, he begged from the Lord that he might remain His eternal servant in
devotional service and by such service do good to all living creatures. By this, it is
clear that a devotee of the Lord in Kåñëa consciousness should not be simply satisfied
by his own advancement in devotional service; he must be willing to work for the
welfare of all others. This example was followed by the six Gosvämés of Våndävana.
It is therefore stated in their prayer, lokänäà hitakäriëau: Vaiñëavas, or devotees of
the Lord, are not selfish. Whatever benefit they derive from the Supreme
Personality of Godhead as benediction they want to distribute to all other persons.
That is the greatest of all humanitarian activities. Being satisfied with the florist,
Lord Kåñëa not only gave him benediction for whatever he wanted, but over and
above that, He offered him all material opulences, family prosperity, long duration of
life, and whatever else his heart desired within the material world.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fortieth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kåñëa
Enters Mathurä.”
41 / The Breaking of the Bow in the Sacrificial
Arena
After leaving the florist’s place, Kåñëa and Balaräma saw a hunchbacked young
woman carrying a dish of sandalwood pulp through the streets. Since Kåñëa is the
reservoir of all pleasure, He wanted to make all His companions joyous by cutting a
joke with the hunchbacked woman. Kåñëa addressed her, “O tall young woman, who
are you? Tell Me, for whom are you carrying this sandalwood pulp in your hand? I
think you should offer this sandalwood to Me, and if you do so I am sure you will be
fortunate.” Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He knew everything
about the hunchback. By His inquiry He indicated that there was no use in serving a
demon; one had better serve Kåñëa and Balaräma and get rid of the result of sins.
The woman replied to Kåñëa, “My dear Çyämasundara, dear beautiful dark boy, You
may know that I am engaged as maidservant of Kaàsa. I am supplying him pulp of
sandalwood daily. The King is very pleased with me for supplying this nice thing, but
now I see that there is no one who can better be served by this pulp of sandalwood
than You two brothers.” Being captivated by the beautiful features of Kåñëa and
Balaräma, Their talking, Their smiling, Their glancing and other activities, the
hunchbacked woman began to smear the pulp of sandalwood over Their bodies with
great satisfaction and devotion. The two transcendental beggars, Kåñëa and
Balaräma, were naturally beautiful and had beautiful complexions, and They were
nicely dressed in colorful garments. The upper portions of Their bodies were already
very attractive, and when the hunchbacked woman smeared Their bodies with
sandalwood pulp, They looked even more beautiful. Kåñëa was very pleased by this
service, and He began to consider how to reward her. In other words, in order to
draw the attention of the Lord, the Kåñëa conscious devotee has to serve Him in
great love and devotion. Kåñëa cannot be pleased by any action other than
transcendental loving service unto Him. Thinking like this, Lord Kåñëa pressed the
feet of the hunchbacked woman with His toes and, capturing her cheeks with His
fingers, gave her a jerk in order to make her straight. At once the hunchbacked
woman looked like a beautiful straight girl, with broad hips, thin waist and very nice,
well shaped breasts. Since Kåñëa was pleased with the service of the hunchbacked
woman, and since she was touched by Kåñëa’s hands, she became the most beautiful
girl among women. This incident shows that by serving Kåñëa the devotee
immediately becomes elevated to the most exalted position. In all respects,
devotional service is so potent that anyone who takes to it becomes qualified with all
godly qualities. Kåñëa was attracted to the hunchbacked woman not for her beauty
but for her service; as soon as she rendered service, she immediately became the most
beautiful woman. A Kåñëa conscious person does not have to be qualified or
beautiful; after becoming Kåñëa conscious and rendering service unto Kåñëa, he
becomes very qualified and beautiful.
When the woman was turned by Kåñëa’s favor into an exquisitely beautiful young
girl, she naturally felt very much obliged to Kåñëa, and she was also attracted by His
beauty. Without hesitation, she caught the rear part of His cloth and began to
snatch it. She smiled flirtatiously and admitted that she was agitated by lusty desires.
She forgot that she was on the street and before the elder brother of Kåñëa and His
friends.
She frankly proposed to Kåñëa: “My dear hero, I cannot leave You in this way. You
must come to my place. I am already very much attracted to Your beauty, so I must
receive You well, for You are the best among males. You must also be very kind upon
me.” In plain words she proposed that Kåñëa come to her home and satisfy her lusty
desires. Kåñëa, of course, felt a little bit embarrassed in front of His elder brother,
Balaräma, but He knew that the girl was simple and attracted; therefore He simply
smiled at her words. Looking towards His cowherd boy friends, He replied to the girl,
“My dear beautiful girl, I am very much pleased by your invitation, and I must come
to your home after finishing My other business here. Such a beautiful girl like you is
the only means of solace for a person like Me, for I am away from home and not
married. Certainly, as a suitable girl friend, you can give us relief from all kinds of
mental agitation.” Kåñëa satisfied the girl in this way with sweet words. Leaving her
there, He began to proceed down the street of the marketplace where the citizens
were prepared to receive Him with various kinds of presentations, especially betel
nuts, flowers and sandalwood.
The mercantile men in the market worshiped Kåñëa and Balaräma with great
respect. When Kåñëa was passing through the street, all the women in the
surrounding houses came to see Him, and some of the younger ones almost fainted,
being captivated by His beauty. Their hair and tight dresses loosened, and they
forgot where they were standing.
Kåñëa next inquired from the citizens as to the location of the place of sacrifice.
Kaàsa had arranged for the sacrifice called Dhanur-yajïa, and to designate this
particular sacrifice he had placed a big bow near the sacrificial altar. The bow was
very big and wonderful and resembled the rainbow in the sky. Within the sacrificial
arena, this bow was protected by many constables and watchmen engaged by King
Kaàsa. As Kåñëa and Balaräma approached the bow, they were warned not to go
nearer, but Kåñëa ignored this warning. He forcibly went up and immediately took
the big bow in His left hand. After stringing the bow in the presence of the crowd,
He drew it and broke it at the middle into two parts, exactly as an elephant breaks
sugar cane in the field. Everyone present appreciated Kåñëa’s power. The sound of
the bow cracking filled both sky and land and was heard by Kaàsa. When Kaàsa
heard what had happened, he began to fear for his life. The caretaker of the bow,
who was standing by watching, became very angry. He ordered his men to take up
weapons, and he began to rush towards Kåñëa, shouting, “Arrest Him! Kill Him! Kill
Him!” Kåñëa and Balaräma were surrounded. When They saw the threatening
motions of the guards, they became angry, and taking up the two pieces of the
broken bow, They began to beat off all the caretaker’s men. While this turmoil was
going on, Kaàsa sent a small group of troops to assist the caretakers, but both Kåñëa
and Balaräma fought with them and also killed them.
After this, Kåñëa did not proceed further into the sacrificial arena but went out the
gate and proceeded towards Their resting camp. Along the way, He visited various
places in Mathurä City with great delight. Seeing the activities and wonderful
prowess of Kåñëa, all the citizens of Mathurä began to consider the two brothers to
be demigods who had come down to Mathurä, and they all looked upon Them with
great astonishment. The two brothers strolled carefree in the street, not caring for
the law and order of Kaàsa.
When evening came, Kåñëa and Balaräma, with Their cowherd boy friends, went to
the outskirts of the city where all their cars were assembled. Thus Kåñëa and
Balaräma gave some preliminary hints of Their arrival to Kaàsa, and he could
understand what severe type of danger was awaiting him the next day in the
sacrificial arena.
When Kåñëa and Balaräma were going from Våndävana to Mathurä, the inhabitants
of Våndävana had imagined the great fortune of the citizens of Mathurä in being
able to see the wonderful beauty of Kåñëa, who is worshiped by His pure devotees as
well as the goddess of fortune. The fantasies of the residents of Våndävana were
actually realized, for the citizens of Mathurä became fully satisfied by seeing Kåñëa.
When Kåñëa returned to His camp, He was taken care of by servants who washed
His lotus feet, gave Him a nice seat and offered Him milk and palatable dishes of
foodstuffs. After taking supper and thinking of the next day’s program, He very
peacefully began to take rest. Thus He passed the night there.
On the other side, when Kaàsa came to understand about the breaking of his
wonderful bow and the killing of the caretaker and soldiers by Kåñëa, he could
partially realize the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He could realize
that the eighth son of Devaké had appeared and that now his death was imminent.
Thinking of his imminent death, he could not rest the entire night. He began to
have many inauspicious visions, and he could understand that both Kåñëa and
Balaräma, who had approached the precincts of the city, were his messengers of
death. Kaàsa began to see various kinds of inauspicious signs, both awake and
dreaming. When he looked in the mirror he could not see his head, although the
head was actually present. He could see the luminaries in the sky in double, although
there was only one set factually. He began to see holes in his shadow, and he could
hear a high buzzing sound within his ears. All the trees before him appeared to be
made of gold, and he could not see his own footprints in dust or muddy clay. In
dream he saw various kinds of ghosts being carried in a carriage drawn by donkeys.
He also dreamed that someone gave him poison, and he was drinking it. He dreamed
also that he was going naked with a garland of flowers and was smearing oil all over
his body. Thus, as Kaàsa saw various signs of death both awake and sleeping, he
could understand that death was certain, and thus in great anxiety he could not rest
that night. Just after the night expired, he busily arranged for the wrestling match.
The wrestling arena was nicely cleansed and decorated with flags, festoons and
flowers, and the match was announced by the beating of kettledrums. The platform
appeared very beautiful due to streamers and flags. Different types of galleries were
arranged for respectable persons—kings, brähmaëas and kñatriyas. The various kings
had reserved thrones, and others had arranged seats also. Kaàsa finally arrived,
accompanied by various ministers and secretaries, and he sat on the raised platform
especially meant for him. Unfortunately, although he was sitting in the center of all
governing executive heads, his heart was palpitating in fear of death. Cruel death
evidently does not care even for a person as powerful as Kaàsa. When death comes,
it does not care for anyone’s exalted position.
When everything was complete, the wrestlers, who were to exhibit their skills before
the assembly, walked into the arena. They were decorated with bright ornaments
and dress. Some of the famous wrestlers were Cäëüra, Muñöika, Çala, Küöa and
Toçala. Being enlivened by the musical concert, they passed through with great
alacrity. All the respectable cowherd men who came from Våndävana, headed by
Nanda, were also welcomed by Kaàsa. After presenting Kaàsa with the milk
products they had brought with them, the cowherd men also took their respective
seats by the side of the King, on a platform especially meant for them.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-first Chapter of Kåñëa, “The
Breaking of the Bow in the Sacrificial Arena.”
42 / The Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayäpéòa
After taking Their baths and finishing all other morning duties, Kåñëa and Balaräma
could hear the beating of the kettledrums in the wrestling camp. They immediately
prepared Themselves to proceed to the spot to see the fun. When Kåñëa and
Balaräma reached the gate of the wrestling camp, They saw a big elephant of the
name Kuvalayäpéòa being tended by a caretaker. The caretaker was deliberately
blocking Their entrance by keeping the elephant in front of the gateway. Kåñëa
could understand the purpose of the caretaker, and He prepared Himself by
tightening His dress before combating the elephant. He began to address the
caretaker in a very grave voice, as resounding as a cloud: “You miscreant caretaker,
give way and let Me pass through the gate. If you block My way, I shall send you and
your elephant to the house of death personified.”
The caretaker, being thus insulted by Kåñëa, became very angry, and in order to
challenge Kåñëa, as was previously planned, he provoked the elephant to attack. The
elephant then moved before Kåñëa like inevitable death. It rushed towards Him and
tried to catch Him with its trunk, but Kåñëa very dexterously moved behind the
elephant. Being able to see only to the end of its nose, the elephant could not see
Kåñëa hiding behind its legs, but it tried to capture Him with its trunk. Kåñëa again
very quickly escaped capture, and He again ran behind the elephant and caught its
tail. Holding the elephant by its tail, Kåñëa began to pull it, and with very great
strength He dragged it for at least twenty-five yards, just as Garuòa drags an
insignificant snake. Kåñëa pulled the elephant from this side to that, from right to
left, just as He used to pull the tail of a calf in His childhood. After this, Kåñëa went
in front of the elephant and gave it a strong slap. He then slipped away from the
elephant’s view and ran to its back. Then, falling down on the ground, Kåñëa placed
Himself in front of the elephant’s two legs and caused it to trip and fall. Kåñëa
immediately got up, but the elephant, thinking that He was still lying down, tried to
push an ivory tusk through the body of Kåñëa by forcibly stabbing it into the ground.
Although the elephant was harassed and angry, the caretaker riding on its head tried
to provoke it further. The elephant then rushed madly towards Kåñëa. As soon as it
came within reach, Kåñëa caught hold of the trunk and pulled the elephant down.
When the elephant and caretaker fell, Kåñëa jumped up on the elephant’s back and
broke it and killed the caretaker also. After killing the elephant, Kåñëa took an ivory
tusk on His shoulder. Decorated with drops of perspiration and sprinkled with the
blood of the elephant, He felt very blissful, and thus He began to proceed towards
the wrestling camp. Lord Balaräma took the other tusk of the elephant on His
shoulder. Accompanied by Their cowherd boy friends, They entered the arena.
When Kåñëa entered the wrestling arena with Balaräma and Their friends, He
appeared differently to different people according to their different relationships
(rasas) with Him. Kåñëa is the reservoir of all pleasure and all kinds of rasas, both
favorable and unfavorable. He appeared to the wrestlers exactly like a thunderbolt.
To the people in general He appeared as the most beautiful personality. To the
females He appeared to be the most attractive male, Cupid personified, and thus
increased their lust. The cowherd men who were present there looked upon Kåñëa as
their own kinsman, coming from the same village of Våndävana. The kñatriya kings
who were present saw Him as the strongest ruler. To the parents of Kåñëa, Nanda
and Yaçodä, He appeared to be the most loving child. To Kaàsa, the king of the
Bhoja dynasty, He appeared to be death personified. To the unintelligent, He
appeared to be an incapable personality. To the yogés present, He appeared to be the
Supersoul. To the members of the Våñëi dynasty He appeared to be the most
celebrated descendant. Thus appreciated differently by different kinds of men
present, Kåñëa entered the wrestling arena with Balaräma and His cowherd boy
friends. Having heard that Kåñëa had already killed the elephant, Kuvalayäpéòa,
Kaàsa knew beyond doubt that Kåñëa was formidable. He thus became very much
afraid of Him. Kåñëa and Balaräma had long hands. They were beautifully dressed,
and They were attractive to all the people assembled there. They were dressed as if
They were going to act on a dramatic stage, and They drew the attention of all
people.
The citizens of Mathurä City who saw Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
became very pleased and began to look on His face with insatiable glances, as if they
were drinking the nectar of heaven. Seeing Kåñëa gave them so much pleasure that
it appeared that they were not only drinking the nectar of seeing His face, but were
smelling the aroma and licking up the taste of His body and were embracing Him
and Balaräma with their arms. They began to talk among themselves about the two
transcendental brothers. For a long time they had heard of the beauty and activities
of Kåñëa and Balaräma, but now they were personally seeing Them face to face.
They thought that Kåñëa and Balaräma were two plenary incarnations of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Näräyaëa, who had appeared in Våndävana.
The citizens of Mathurä began to recite Kåñëa’s pastimes, His birth as the son of
Vasudeva, His being taken into the care of Nanda Mahäräja and his wife in Gokula,
and all those events leading to His coming to Mathurä. They spoke of the killing of
the demon Pütanä, as well as the killing of Tåëävarta, who came as a whirlwind.
They also recalled the deliverance of the twin brothers from within the yamala
arjuna trees. The citizens of Mathurä spoke among themselves: “Çaìkhäsura, Keçé,
Dhenukäsura and many other demons were killed by Kåñëa and Balaräma in
Våndävana. Kåñëa also saved all the cowherd men of Våndävana from devastating
fire. He chastised the Käliya snake in the water of Yamunä, and He curbed the false
pride of the heavenly King, Indra. Kåñëa held up the great Govardhana Hill in one
hand for seven continuous days and saved all the people of Gokula from incessant
rain, hurricane and windstorm.” They also began to remember other enlivening
activities: “The damsels of Våndävana were so pleased by seeing Kåñëa’s beauty and
participating in His activities that they forgot the purpose of material existence. By
seeing and thinking of Kåñëa, they forgot all sorts of material fatigue.” The Mathurä
citizens discussed the dynasty of Yadu, saying that because of Kåñëa’s appearance in
this dynasty, the Yadus would remain the most celebrated family in the whole
universe. While they were thus talking about the activities of Kåñëa and Balaräma,
they heard the vibrations of different bands announcing the wrestling match.
The famous wrestler Cäëüra then began to talk with Kåñëa and Balaräma. “My dear
Kåñëa and Balaräma,” he said, “we have heard about Your past activities. You are
great heroes, and therefore the King has called You. We have heard that Your arms
are very strong. The King and all the people present here desire to see a display of
Your wrestling abilities. A citizen should be obedient and please the mind of the
ruling king; acting in that way, the citizen attains all kinds of good fortune. One who
does not care to act obediently is made unhappy because of the king’s anger. You are
cowherd boys, and we have heard that while tending Your cows in the forest, You
enjoy wrestling with each other. We wish, therefore, for You to join with us in
wrestling so that all the people present here, along with the King, will be pleased.”
Kåñëa immediately understood the purpose of Cäëüra’s statements, and He prepared
to wrestle with him. But according to the time and circumstances, He spoke as
follows: “You are the subject of the King of Bhoja, and you live in the jungle. We are
also indirectly his subjects, and We try to please him as far as possible. This offer of
wrestling is a great favor of his, but the fact is that We are simply boys. We
sometimes play in the forest of Våndävana with Our friends who are Our own age.
We think that to combat persons of equal age and strength is good for Us, but to
fight great wrestlers like you would not be good for the audience. It would contradict
their religious principles.” Kåñëa thus indicated that the celebrated, strong wrestlers
should not challenge Kåñëa and Balaräma to fight.
In reply to this, Cäëüra said, “My dear Kåñëa, we can understand that You are
neither a child nor a young man. You are transcendental to everyone, as is Your big
brother, Balaräma. You have already killed the elephant Kuvalayäpéòa, who was
capable of fighting and defeating other elephants. You have killed him in a
wonderful way. Because of Your strength, it behooves You to compete with the
stronger wrestlers amongst us. I therefore wish to wrestle with You, and Your elder
brother, Balaräma, will wrestle with Muñöika.”
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-second Chapter of Kåñëa, “The
Killing of the Elephant Kuvalayäpéòa.”
43 / The Killing of Kaàsa
After Kaàsa’s wrestlers expressed their determination, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the killer of Madhu, confronted Cäëüra, and Lord Balaräma, the son of
Rohiëé, confronted Muñöika. Kåñëa and Cäëüra and then Balaräma and Muñöika
locked themselves hand to hand, leg to leg, and each began to press against the other
with a view to come out victorious. They joined palm to palm, calf to calf, head to
head, chest to chest and began to strike each other. The fighting increased as they
pushed one other from one place to another. One captured another and threw him
down on the ground, and another rushed from the back to the front of another and
tried to overcome him with a hold. The fighting increased step by step. There was
picking up, the dragging and pushing, and then the legs and hands were locked
together. All the arts of wrestling were perfectly exhibited by the parties, as each
tried his best to defeat his opponent.
But the audience in the wrestling arena was not very satisfied because the
combatants did not appear to be equally matched. They considered Kåñëa and
Balaräma to be mere boys before the wrestlers Cäëüra and Muñöika, who were huge
men as solid as stone. Being compassionate and favoring Kåñëa and Balaräma, many
members of the audience began to talk as follows. “Dear friends, there is danger
here.” Another said, “Even in front of the King this wrestling is going on between
incompatible sides.” The audience had lost their sense of enjoyment. They could not
encourage the fighting between the strong and the weak. “Muñöika and Cäëüra are
just like thunderbolts, as strong as great mountains, and Kåñëa and Balaräma are two
delicate boys of very tender age. The principle of justice has already left this
assembly. Persons who are aware of the civilized principles of justice will not remain
to watch this unfair match. Those taking part in this wrestling match are not very
much enlightened; therefore whether they speak or remain silent, they are being
subjected to the reactions of sinful activities.” “But my dear friends,” another in the
assembly spoke out, “just look at the face of Kåñëa. There are drops of perspiration on
His face from chasing His enemy, and His face appears like the lotus flower with
drops of water. And do you see how the face of Lord Balaräma has turned especially
beautiful? There is a reddish hue on His white face because He is engaged in a strong
wrestling match with Muñöika.”
Ladies in the assembly also addressed one another, “Dear friends, just imagine how
fortunate the land of Våndävana is where the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Himself is present, always decorated with flower garlands and engaged in tending
cows along with His brother, Lord Balaräma. He is always accompanied by His
cowherd boy friends, and He plays His transcendental flute. The residents of
Våndävana are fortunate to be able to constantly see the lotus feet of Kåñëa and
Balaräma, which are worshiped by great demigods like Lord Çiva and Brahmä and
the goddess of fortune. We cannot estimate how many pious activities were executed
by the damsels of Vrajabhümi so that they were able to enjoy the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and look on the unparalleled beauty of His transcendental
body. The beauty of the Lord is beyond compare. No one is higher or equal to Him in
beauty of complexion or bodily luster. Kåñëa and Balaräma are the reservoir of all
kinds of opulence—namely wealth, strength, beauty, fame, knowledge and
renunciation. The gopés are so fortunate that they can see and think of Kåñëa
twenty-four hours a day, beginning from their milking the cows or husking the
paddy or churning the butter in the morning. While engaged in cleaning their
houses and washing their floors, they are always absorbed in the thought of Kåñëa.”
The gopés give a perfect example of how one can execute Kåñëa consciousness even
if he is in different types of material engagement. By constantly being absorbed in
the thought of Kåñëa, one cannot be affected by the contamination of material
activities. The gopés are, therefore, perfectly in trance, samädhi, the highest
perfectional stage of mystic power. In the Bhagavad-gétä, it is confirmed that one
who is constantly thinking of Kåñëa is a first-class yogi among all kinds of yogés. “My
dear friends,” one lady told another, “we must accept the gopés’ activities to be the
highest form of piety; otherwise, how could they have achieved the opportunity of
seeing Kåñëa both morning and evening when He goes to the pasturing ground with
His cows and cowherd boy friends and returns in the evening? They frequently see
Him playing on His flute and smiling very brilliantly.”
When Lord Kåñëa, the Supersoul of every living being, understood that the ladies in
the assembly were anxious for Him, He decided not to continue wrestling but to kill
the wrestlers immediately. The parents of Kåñëa and Balaräma, namely Nanda
Mahäräja, Yaçodä, Vasudeva and Devaké, were also very anxious because they did
not know the unlimited strength of their children. Lord Balaräma was fighting with
the wrestler Muñöika in the same way that Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, was fighting and wrestling with Cäëüra. Lord Kåñëa appeared to be cruel
to Cäëüra, and He immediately struck him thrice with His fist. The great wrestler
was jolted, to the astonishment of the audience. Cäëüra then took his last chance
and attacked Kåñëa, just as one hawk swoops upon another. Folding his two hands,
he began to strike the chest of Kåñëa, but Lord Kåñëa was not even slightly disturbed,
no more than an elephant that is hit by a flower garland. Kåñëa quickly caught the
two hands of Cäëüra and began to wheel him around, and simply by this centrifugal
action, Cäëüra lost his life. Kåñëa then threw him to the ground. Cäëüra fell just
like the flag of Indra, and all his nicely decorated ornaments were scattered hither
and thither.
Muñöika also struck Balaräma, and Balaräma returned the stroke with great force.
Muñöika began to tremble, and blood and vomit flowed from his mouth. Distressed,
he gave up his vital force and fell down just as a tree falls down in a hurricane. After
the two wrestlers were killed, a wrestler named Küöa came forward. Lord Balaräma
immediately caught him in His left hand and killed him nonchalantly. Another
wrestler of the name Çala came forward, and Kåñëa immediately kicked him and
cracked his head. Another wrestler named Toçala came forward and was killed in the
same way. Thus all the great wrestlers were killed by Kåñëa and Balaräma, and the
remaining wrestlers began to flee from the assembly out of fear for their lives. All
the cowherd boy friends of Kåñëa and Balaräma approached Them and
congratulated Them with great pleasure. While drums beat and they talked of the
victory, the leg bells on the feet of Kåñëa and Balaräma tinkled.
All the people gathered there began to clap in great ecstasy, and no one could
estimate the bounds of their pleasure. The brähmaëas present began to praise Kåñëa
and Balaräma ecstatically. Only Kaàsa was morose; he neither clapped nor offered
benediction to Kåñëa. Kaàsa resented the drums’ being beaten for Kåñëa’s victory,
and he was very sorry that the wrestlers had been killed and had fled the assembly.
He therefore immediately ordered the drum playing to stop and began to address his
friends as follows: “I order that these two sons of Vasudeva be immediately driven
out of Mathurä. The cowherd boys who have come with Them should be plundered
and all their riches taken away. Nanda Mahäräja should immediately be arrested and
killed for his cunning behavior, and the rascal Vasudeva should also be killed
without delay. Also my father, Ugrasena, who has always supported my enemies
against my will, should be killed.”
When Kaàsa spoke in this way, Lord Kåñëa became very angry with him, and within
a second He jumped over the high guards of King Kaàsa. Kaàsa was prepared for
Kåñëa’s attack, for he knew from the beginning that He was to be the cause of his
death. He immediately unsheathed his sword and prepared to answer the challenge
of Kåñëa with sword and shield. As Kaàsa wielded his sword up and down, hither
and thither, Lord Kåñëa, the supreme powerful Lord, caught hold of him with great
force. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the shelter of the complete
creation and from whose lotus navel the whole creation is manifested, immediately
knocked the crown from the head of Kaàsa and grabbed his long hair in His hand.
He then dragged Kaàsa from his seat to the wrestling dais and threw him down.
Then Kåñëa at once straddled his chest and began to strike him over and over again.
Simply from the strokes of His fist, Kaàsa lost his vital force.
In order to assure His parents that Kaàsa was dead, Lord Kåñëa dragged him just as a
lion drags an elephant after killing it. On sight of this, there was a great roaring
sound from all sides, as some spectators expressed their jubilation and others cried in
lamentation. From the day Kaàsa heard that he would be killed by the eighth son of
Devaké, he was always thinking of Kåñëa twenty-four hours a day without any
stoppage—even while he was eating, while he was walking, while he was breathing
—and naturally he got the blessing of liberation. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is stated,
sadä tad-bhäva-bhävitaù: a person gets his next life according to the thoughts in
which he is always absorbed. Kaàsa was thinking of Kåñëa with His wheel, which
means Näräyaëa who holds a wheel, conchshell, lotus flower and club.
According to the opinion of authorities, Kaàsa attained särüpya-mukti after death,
that is to say he attained the same form as Näräyaëa (Viñëu). On the Vaikuëöha
planets all the inhabitants have the same bodily features as Näräyaëa. After his
death, Kaàsa attained liberation and was promoted to Vaikuëöhaloka. From this
instance we can understand that even a person who thinks of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead as an enemy gets liberation and a place in a Vaikuëöha
planet, so what to speak of the pure devotees who are always absorbed in favorable
thoughts of Kåñëa? Even an enemy who is killed by Kåñëa gets liberation and is
placed in the impersonal brahmajyoti. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
all good, anyone thinking of Him, either as enemy or as friend, gets liberation. But
the liberation of the devotee and the liberation of the enemy are not the same. The
enemy generally gets the liberation of säyujya, and sometimes he gets särüpya
liberation.
Kaàsa had eight brothers, headed by Kaìka. All of them were younger than he, and
when they learned that their elder brother had been killed, they combined together
and rushed towards Kåñëa in great anger to kill Him. Kaàsa and his brothers were all
Kåñëa’s maternal uncles. They were all brothers of Kåñëa’s mother, Devaké. When
Kåñëa killed Kaàsa He killed His maternal uncle, which is against the regulation of
Vedic injunction. Although Kåñëa is independent of all Vedic injunction, He
violates the Vedic injunction only in inevitable cases. Kaàsa could not be killed by
anyone but Kåñëa; therefore Kåñëa was obliged to kill him. As far as Kaàsa’s eight
brothers were concerned, Balaräma took charge of killing them. Balaräma’s mother,
Rohiëé, although the wife of Vasudeva, was not the sister of Kaàsa; therefore
Balaräma took charge of killing all of Kaàsa’s eight brothers. He immediately took
up an available weapon (most probably the elephant’s tusk which He carried) and
killed the eight brothers one after another, just as a lion kills a flock of deer. Kåñëa
and Balaräma thus verified the statement that the Supreme Personality of Godhead
appears to give protection to the pious and to kill the impious demons, who are
always enemies of the demigods.
The demigods from the higher planetary systems began to shower flowers,
congratulating Kåñëa and Balaräma. Among the demigods were powerful
personalities like Lord Brahmä and Çiva, and all joined together in showing their
jubilation over Kaàsa’s death. There was beating of drums and showering of flowers
from the heavenly planets, and the wives of the demigods began to dance in ecstasy.
The wives of Kaàsa and his eight brothers became aggrieved on account of their
husbands’ sudden deaths, and all of them were striking their foreheads and shedding
torrents of tears. They were crying very loudly and embracing the bodies of their
husbands. The wives of Kaàsa and his brothers began to lament, addressing the dead
bodies: “Our dear husbands, you are so kind and are the protectors of your
dependents. Now, after your death, we are also dead, along with your homes and
children. We are no longer looking very auspicious. On account of your death, the
auspicious functions which were to take place, such as the sacrifice of the bow, have
all been spoiled. Our dear husbands, you treated persons ill who were faultless, and as
a result you have been killed. This is inevitable because a person who torments an
innocent person must be punished by the laws of nature. We know that Lord Kåñëa
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the supreme master of everything and
the supreme enjoyer of everything, and therefore anyone who neglects His authority
can never be happy, and ultimately, as you have, he meets death.”
Since Kåñëa was kind and affectionate to His aunts, He began to give them solace as
far as was possible. The ritualistic ceremonies after death were then conducted under
the personal supervision of Kåñëa because He happened to be the nephew of all the
dead princes. After finishing this business, Kåñëa and Balaräma immediately released
Their father and mother, Vasudeva and Devaké who had been imprisoned by Kaàsa.
Kåñëa and Balaräma fell at Their parents’ feet and offered them prayers. Vasudeva
and Devaké had suffered so much trouble because Kåñëa was their son; it was beause
of Kåñëa that Kaàsa was always giving them trouble. Devaké and Vasudeva were
fully conscious of Kåñëa’s exalted position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
therefore, although Kåñëa touched their feet and offered obeisances and prayers to
them, they did not embrace Him, but simply stood up to hear the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Although Kåñëa was born as their son, Vasudeva and
Devaké were always conscious of His position.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-third Chapter of Kåñëa, “The
Killing of Kaàsa.”
44 / Kåñëa Recovers the Son of His Teacher
When Lord Kåñëa saw that Vasudeva and Devaké were remaining standing in a
reverential attitude, He immediately expanded His influence of yogamäyä so that
they could treat Him and Balaräma as children. As in the material world the
relationship existing between father and mother and children can be established
amongst different living entities by the influence of the illusory energy, so, by the
influence of yogamäyä, the devotee can establish a relationship in which the
Supreme Personality of Godhead is his child. After creating this situation by His
yogamäyä, Kåñëa, appearing with His elder brother Balaräma as the most illustrious
sons in the dynasty of the Sätvatas, very submissively and respectfully addressed
Vasudeva and Devaké: “My dear father and mother, although you have always been
very anxious for the protection of Our lives, you could not enjoy the pleasure of
having Us as your babies, as your growing boys and as your adolescent youths.” Kåñëa
indirectly praised the fatherhood of Nanda Mahäräja and motherhood of Yaçodä as
most glorious because although He and Balaräma were not their born sons, Nanda
and Yaçodä actually enjoyed Their childhood pastimes. By nature’s own
arrangement, the childhood of the embodied living being is enjoyed by the parents.
Even in the animal kingdom the parents are found to be affectionate to the cubs.
Being captivated by the activities of their children, they take much care for their
well-being. As for Vasudeva and Devaké, they were always very anxious for the
protection of their sons, Kåñëa and Balaräma. That is why Kåñëa, after His
appearance, was immediately transferred to another’s house. Balaräma was also
transferred from Devaké’s womb to Rohiëé’s womb.
Vasudeva and Devaké were full of anxieties for Kåñëa’s and Balaräma’s protection,
and they could not enjoy Their childhood pastimes. Kåñëa said, “Unfortunately,
being ordered by Our fate, We could not be raised by Our own parents to enjoy
childhood pleasures at home. My dear father and mother, a man has a debt to pay to
his parents, from whom he gets this body which can bestow upon him all the benefits
of material existence. According to the Vedic injunction, this human form of life
enables one to perform all kinds of religious activities, fulfill all kinds of desires and
acquire all kinds of wealth. And only in this human form is there every possibility
that one can get liberation from material existence. This body is produced by the
combined efforts of the father and mother. Every human being should be obliged to
his parents and understand that he cannot repay his debt to them. If, after growing
up, a son does not try to satisfy his parents by his actions or by an endowment of
riches, he is surely punished after death by the superintendent of death and made to
eat his own flesh. If a person is able to care for or give protection to old parents,
children, the spiritual master, brähmaëas and other dependents, but does not do so,
he is considered to be already dead, although he is supposedly breathing. My dear
father and mother, you have always been very anxious for Our protection, but
unfortunately We could not render any service unto you. Up to date We have simply
wasted Our time; We could not serve you for reasons beyond Our control. Mother
and father, please excuse Us for Our sinful action.”
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead was speaking as an innocent boy in very
sweet words, both Vasudeva and Devaké became captivated by parental affection and
embraced Them with great pleasure. They were amazed and could not speak or
answer the words of Kåñëa, but simply embraced Him and Balaräma in great
affection and remained silent, shedding incessant tears.
Thus consoling His father and mother, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
appearing as the beloved son of Devaké, approached His grandfather Ugrasena and
announced that Ugrasena would now be the King of the Yadu kingdom. Kaàsa had
been forcibly ruling over the kingdom of Yadu, in spite of the presence of his father,
whom he had arrested. But after the death of Kaàsa, Kaàsa’s father was released
and announced to be the king of the Yadu kingdom. It appears that in those days, in
the western part of India, there were many small kingdoms, and they were ruled by
the Yadu dynasty, Andhaka dynasty, Våñëi dynasty and Bhoja dynasty. Mahäräja
Ugrasena belonged to the Bhoja dynasty; therefore Kåñëa indirectly declared that
the King of the Bhoja dynasty would be the emperor of the other small kingdoms. He
willingly asked Mahäräja Ugrasena to rule over Them because They were his
subjects. The word prajä is used both for the progeny and for the citizens, so Kåñëa
belonged to the prajä, both as a grandson to Mahäräja Ugrasena and as a member of
the Yadu dynasty. He voluntarily accepted the rule of Mahäräja Ugrasena. He
informed Ugrasena: “Being cursed by the Yayäti, the kings of the Yadu dynasty will
not rise against the throne. It will be Our pleasure to serve you as your servants. Our
full cooperation with you will make your position more exalted and secure so that
the kings of other dynasties will not hesitate to pay their respective revenues.
Protected by Us, you will be honored even by the demigods from the heavenly
planets. My dear grandfather, out of fear of My late uncle Kaàsa, all the kings
belonging to the Yadu dynasty, Våñëi dynasty, Andhaka dynasty, Madhu dynasty,
Daçärha dynasty and Kukura dynasty were very anxious and disturbed. Now you can
pacify them all and give them assurance of security. The whole kingdom will be
peaceful.”
All the kings in the neighboring area had left their homes in fear of Kaàsa and were
living in distant parts of the country. Now, after the death of Kaàsa and the
reinstatement of Ugrasena as king, the neighboring kings were given all kinds of
presentations and comforts. Then they returned to their respective homes. After
this nice political arrangement, the citizens of Mathurä were pleased to live in
Mathurä, being protected by the strong arms of Kåñëa and Balaräma. On account of
good government in the presence of Kåñëa and Balaräma, the inhabitants of
Mathurä felt complete satisfaction in the fulfillment of all their material desires and
necessities, and because they saw Kåñëa and Balaräma daily, eye to eye, they soon
forgot all material miseries completely. As soon as they saw Kåñëa and Balaräma
coming out on the street, very nicely dressed and smiling and looking here and
there, the citizens were immediately filled with loving ecstasies, simply by seeing the
personal presence of Mukunda. Mukunda refers to one who can award liberation and
transcendental bliss. Kåñëa’s presence acted as such a vitalizing tonic that not only
the younger generation, but even the old men of Mathurä became fully invigorated
with youthful energy and strength by regularly seeing Him.
Nanda Mahäräja and Yaçodä were also living in Mathurä because Kåñëa and
Balaräma were there, but after some time they wanted to go back to Våndävana.
Kåñëa and Balaräma went before them and very feelingly and affectionately
embraced Nanda and Yaçodä, and Kåñëa began to speak as follows: “My Dear father
and mother, although I was born of Vasudeva and Devaké, you have been Our real
father and mother, because from Our very birth and childhood, you raised Us with
great affection and love. Your affectionate love for Us was more than anyone can
offer one’s own children. You are actually Our father and mother, because you raised
Us as your own children at a time when when We were just like orphans. For certain
reasons We were rejected by Our father and mother, and you protected Us. My dear
father and mother, I know you will be feeling separation by returning to Våndävana
and leaving Us here, but please rest assured that I shall be coming back to
Våndävana just after giving some satisfaction to My real father and mother,
Vasudeva and Devaké, My grandfather, and other relatives and family members.”
Kåñëa and Balaräma satisfied Nanda and Yaçodä by sweet words and by presentation
of various clothing, ornaments and properly made utensils. They satisfied them,
along with their friends and neighbors who had come with them from Våndävana to
Mathurä, as fully as possible. On account of his excessive parental affection for
Balaräma and Kåñëa, Nanda Mahäräja felt tears in his eyes, and he embraced Them
and started with the cowherd men for Våndävana.
After this, Vasudeva had his son initiated by sacred thread as the token of second
birth, which is essential for the higher castes of human society. Vasudeva called for
his family priest and learned brähmaëas, and the sacred thread ceremony of Kåñëa
and Balaräma was duly performed. During this ceremony, Vasudeva gave various
ornaments in charity to the brähmaëas and endowed them with cows decorated with
silken cloths and golden ornaments. Previously, during the birth of Kåñëa and
Balaräma, Vasudeva had wanted to give cows in charity to the brähmaëas, but being
imprisoned by Kaàsa, he was able to do so only within his mind. With the death of
Kaàsa the actual cows were given to the brähmaëas. Then Balaräma and Kåñëa were
duly initiated with the sacred thread ceremony, and They repeated the chanting of
the Gäyatré mantra. The Gäyatré mantra is offered to the disciples after the sacred
thread ceremony, and Balaräma and Kåñëa properly discharged the duties of
chanting this mantra. Anyone who executes the chanting of this mantra has to
abide by certain principles and vows. Although Balaräma and Kåñëa were both
transcendental personalities, They strictly followed the regulative principles. Both
were initiated by Their family priest Gargäcärya, usually known as Gargamuni, the
äcärya of the Yadu dynasty. According to Vedic culture, every respectable person
has an äcärya, or spiritual master. One is not considered to be a perfectly cultured
man without being initiated and trained by an äcärya. It is said, therefore, that one
who has approached an äcärya is actually in perfect knowledge. Lord Kåñëa and
Balaräma were the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all education and
knowledge. There was no need for Them to accept a spiritual master or äcärya, yet
for the instruction of ordinary men, They also accepted a spiritual master for
advancement in spiritual knowledge.
It is customary, after being initiated in the Gäyatré mantra, for one to live away from
home for some time under the care of the äcärya in order to be trained in spiritual
life. During this period one has to work under the spiritual master as an ordinary
menial servant. There are many rules and regulations for a brahmacäré living under
the care of an äcärya, and both Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma strictly followed those
regulative principles while living under the instruction of their spiritual master,
Sändépani Muni, in his place in northern India. According to scriptural injunctions,
a spiritual master should be respected and be regarded on an equal level with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Both Kåñëa and Balaräma exactly followed those
principles with great devotion and underwent the regulations of brahmacarya, and
thus They satisfied Their spiritual master, who instructed Them in Vedic knowledge.
Being very satisfied, Sändépani Muni instructed Them in all the intricacies of Vedic
wisdom as well as in supplementary literatures such as the Upaniñads. Because Kåñëa
and Balaräma happened to be kñatriyas, They were specifically trained in military
science, politics and mathematics. In politics there are six departments of knowledge
—how to make peace, how to fight, how to pacify, how to divide and rule, how to
give shelter, etc. All these items were fully explained and instructed to Kåñëa and
Balaräma.
The ocean is the source of water in a river. The cloud is created by the evaporation
of ocean water, and the same water is distributed as rain all over the surface of the
earth and then returns toward the ocean in rivers. So Kåñëa and Balaräma, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, are the source of all kinds of knowledge, but
because They were playing like ordinary human boys, They set the example so that
everyone would receive knowledge from the right source. Thus They agreed to take
knowledge from a spiritual master.
After hearing only once from the teacher, Kåñëa and Balaräma learned all the arts
and sciences. In sixty-four days and sixty-four nights They learned all the necessary
arts and sciences that are required in human society. During daytime They took
lessons on a subject from the teacher, and by nightfall, after having heard from the
teacher, They were expert in that department of knowledge.
First of all They learned how to sing, how to compose songs and how to recognize the
different tunes; They learned the favorable and unfavorable accents and meters,
how to sing different kinds of rhythms and melodies, and how to follow them by
beating different kinds of drums. They learned how to dance with rhythm, melody
and different songs. They learned how to write dramas, and They learned the
various types of paintings, beginning from different village arts up to the highest
perfectional stage. They also learned how to paint tilaka on the face and make
different kinds of dots on the forehead and cheeks. Then They learned the art of
painting on the floor with liquid paste of rice and flour; such paintings are very
popular at auspicious ceremonies performed at household affairs or in the temple.
They learned how to make a resting place with flowers and how to decorate clothing
and leaves with colorful paintings. They also learned how to set different valuable
jewels in ornaments. They learned the art of ringing waterpots. Waterpots are filled
with water to a certain measurement so that when one beats on the pots, different
tunes are produced, and when the pots are beaten together they produce a melodious
sound. They also learned how to throw water in the rivers or the lakes while taking a
bath among friends. They also learned how to decorate with flowers. This art of
decorating can still be seen in various temples of Våndävana during the summer
season. It is called phulabäòi. The dais, the throne, the walls and the ceiling are all
fully decorated, and a small, aromatic fountain of flowers is fixed in the center.
Because of these floral decorations, the people, fatigued from the heat of the summer
season, become refreshed.
Kåñëa and Balaräma learned the art of dressing hair in various styles and fixing a
helmet in different positions on the head. They also learned how to perform on a
theatrical stage, how to decorate dramatic actors with flower ornaments over the ear,
and how to sprinkle sandalwood pulp and water to produce a nice fragrance. They
also learned the art of performing magical feats. Within the magical field there is an
art called bahurüpé by which a person dresses himself in such a way that when he
approaches a friend he cannot be recognized. They also learned how to make
beverages which are required at various times, and they studied syrups and tastes and
the effects of intoxication. They learned how to manipulate thin threads for dancing
puppets, and They learned how to string wires on musical instruments, such as the
véëä, sitar and tampura, to produce melodious sound. Then They learned puzzles and
how to set and solve them. They learned the art of reading books from which even a
foolish student can very quickly learn to read the alphabet and comprehend writing.
Then They learned how to rehearse and act out a drama. They also studied the art of
solving crossword puzzles, filling up the missing space and making complete words.
They also learned how to draw pictographic literature. In some countries in the
world, pictographic literature is still current. A story is represented by pictures; for
instance, a man and a house are pictured to represent a man going home. Kåñëa and
Balaräma also learned the art of architecture—how to construct residential
buildings. They learned to recognize valuable jewels by studying the luster and the
quality of their colors. Then They learned the art of setting jewels with gold and
silver. They also learned how to study soil to find minerals. This study of soil is now a
greatly specialized science, but formerly it was common knowledge even for the
ordinary man. They learned to study herbs and plants and to extract medicine from
the elements. By studying the different species of plants, They learned how to
crossbreed plants and get different types of fruits. They learned how to train and
engage lambs and cocks in fighting for sporting purposes. They then learned how to
teach parrots to speak and answer the questions of human beings.
They learned practical psychology—how to influence another’s mind and thus
induce another to act according to one’s own desire. Sometimes this is called
hypnotism. They learned how to wash hair, dye it in different colors and curl it in
different ways. They learned the art of telling what is written in someone’s book
without actually seeing it. They learned to tell what is contained in another’s fist.
Sometimes children imitate this art, although not very accurately. One child keeps
something within his fist and asks his friend, “Can you tell what is within?” and the
friend gives some suggestion, although He actually cannot tell. But there is an art by
which one can understand and actually tell what is held within the fist.
Kåñëa and Balaräma learned how to speak and understand the languages of various
countries. They learned not only the languages of human beings. Kåñëa could also
speak even with animals and birds. Evidence of this is found in Vaiñëava literature
compiled by the Gosvämés. Then They learned how to make carriages and airplanes
from flowers. It is said in the Ramäyäëa that after defeating Rävaëa, Rämacandra
was carried from Laìkä to Bhäratavarña on a plane of flowers called puñpa-ratha.
Kåñëa then learned the art of foretelling events by seeing signs. In a book called
Khanär vacana, the various types of signs and omens are described. If, when one is
going out, one sees someone with a bucket full of water, that is a very good sign. But
if one sees someone with an empty bucket, it is not a very good sign. Similarly, if one
sees cow’s milk along with a calf, it is a good sign. The result of understanding these
signs is that one can foretell events, and Kåñëa learned the science. Kåñëa also
learned the art of composing mätåkä. A mätåkä is a crossword section with three
letters in a line; counting any three from any side, it will count nine. The mätåkäs
are of different kinds and are for different purposes.
Kåñëa learned the art of cutting valuable stones such as diamonds, and He learned
the art of questioning and answering by immediately composing poetry within His
mind. He learned the science of the action and reaction of physical combinations
and permutations. He learned the art of a psychiatrist, who can understand the
psychic movements of another person. He learned how to satisfy one’s desires.
Desires are very difficult to fulfill; but if one desires something which is
unreasonable and can never be fulfilled, the desire can be subdued and satisfied, and
that is an art. By this art one can also subdue sex impulses when they are aroused, as
they are even in brahmacäré life. By this art one can make even an enemy his friend
or transfer the direct action of a physical element to other things.
Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma, the reservoir of all knowledge of arts and sciences,
exhibited Their perfect understanding when They offered to serve Their teacher by
awarding him anything he desired. This offering by the student to the teacher or
spiritual master is called guru-dakñiëä. It is essential that a student satisfy the
teacher in return for any learning received, either material or spiritual. When Kåñëa
and Balaräma offered Their service in this way, the teacher, Sändépani Muni,
thought it wise to ask Them for something extraordinary, something which no
common student could offer. He therefore consulted with his wife about what to ask
from Them. They had already seen the extraordinary potencies of Kåñëa and
Balaräma and could understand that the two boys were the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. They decided to ask for the return of their son, who had drowned in the
ocean on the bank of Prabhäsakñetra.
When Kåñëa and Balaräma heard from Their teacher about the death of his son on
the bank of Prabhäsakñetra, They immediately started for the ocean on Their
chariot. Reaching the beach, They asked the controlling deity of the ocean to return
the son of Their teacher. The ocean deity immediately appeared before the Lord and
offered Him all respectful obeisances with great humility.
The Lord said, “Some time back you caused the drowning of the son of Our teacher. I
order you to return him.”
The ocean deity replied, “The boy was not actually taken by me, but was captured by
a demon named Païcajana. This great demon generally remains deep in the water in
the shape of a conchshell. The son of Your teacher might be within the belly of the
demon, having been devoured by him.”
On hearing this, Kåñëa dove deep into the water and caught hold of the demon
Païcajana. He killed him on the spot, but could not find the son of His teacher
within his belly. Therefore He took the demon’s dead body (in the shape of a
conchshell) and returned to His chariot on the beach of Prabhäsakñetra. From there
He started for Saàyamané, the residence of Yamaräja, the superintendent of death.
Accompanied by His elder brother Balaräma, who is also known as Haläyudha, Kåñëa
arrived there and blew on His conchshell.
Hearing the vibration, Yamaräja appeared and received Çré Kåñëa with all respectful
obeisances. Yamaräja could understand who Kåñëa and Balaräma were, and therefore
he immediately offered his humble service to the Lord. Kåñëa had appeared on the
surface of the earth as an ordinary human being, but actually Kåñëa and Balaräma
are the Supersoul living within the heart of every living entity. They are Viñëu
Himself, but were playing just like ordinary human boys. As Yamaräja offered his
services to the Lord, Çré Kåñëa asked him to return His teacher’s son, who had come
to him as a result of his work. “Considering My ruling as supreme,” said Kåñëa, “you
should immediately return the son of My teacher.”
Yamaräja returned the boy to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Kåñëa and
Balaräma brought him to his father. The brothers asked if Their teacher had
anything more to ask from Them, but he replied, “My dear sons, You have done
enough for me. I am now completely satisfied. What further want can there be for a
man who has disciples like You? My dear boys, You can go home now. These glorious
acts of Yours will always be renowned all over the world. You are above all blessing,
yet it is my duty to bless You. I give You the benediction that whatever You speak
will remain as eternally fresh as the instruction of the Vedas. Your teachings will not
only be honored within this universe or in this millennium, but in all places and ages
and will remain increasingly new and important.” Due to this benediction from His
teacher, Lord Kåñëa’s Bhagavad-gétä is ever increasingly fresh and is not only
renowned within this universe, but in other planets and in other universes also.
Being ordered by Their teacher, Kåñëa and Balaräma immediately returned home on
Their chariots. They traveled at great speeds like the wind and made sounds like the
crashing of clouds. All the residents of Mathurä, who had not seen Kåñëa and
Balaräma for a long time, were very pleased to see Them again. They felt joyful, like
a person who has regained his lost property.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-fourth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kåñëa
Recovers the Son of His Teacher.”
45 / Uddhava Visits Våndävana
Nanda Mahäräja returned to Våndävana without Kåñëa and Balaräma. He was
accompanied only by the cowherd boys and men. It was certainly a very pathetic
scene for the gopés, mother Yaçodä, Çrématé Rädhäräëé and all the inhabitants and
residents of Våndävana. Many devotees have tried to make adjustments to Kåñëa’s
being away from Våndävana because according to expert opinion, Kåñëa, the original
Supreme Personality of Godhead, never goes even a step out of Våndävana. He
always remains there. The explanation of expert devotees is that Kåñëa was actually
not absent from Våndävana; He came back with Nanda Mahäräja as promised.
When He was going to Mathurä on the chariot driven by Akrüra and the gopés were
practically blocking the way, Kåñëa assured them that He was coming back just after
finishing His business in Mathurä. He told them not to be overwhelmed, and in this
way He pacified them. But when He did not come back with Nanda Mahäräja, it
appeared that He either cheated them or could not keep His promise. Expert
devotees, however, have decided that Kåñëa was neither a cheater nor a breaker of
promises. Kåñëa, in His original identity, returned with Nanda Mahäräja and stayed
with the gopés and mother Yaçodä in His bhava expansion. Kåñëa and Balaräma
remained in Mathurä, not in Their original forms, but in Their expansions as
Väsudeva and Saìkarñaëa. The real Kåñëa and Balaräma were in Våndävana in
Their bhava manifestation, whereas in Mathurä They appeared in the prabhava and
vaibhava expansions. This is the expert opinion of advanced devotees of Kåñëa. But
when Nanda Mahäräja was preparing to return to Våndävana, there was discussion
among him, Kåñëa and Balaräma as to how the boys could live in separation from
Nanda. The conclusion to separate was reached by mutual agreement.
Vasudeva and Devaké happened to be Kåñëa and Balaräma’s real parents. They
wanted to keep Them now because of the death of Kaàsa. While Kaàsa was alive,
They were kept under the protection of Nanda Mahäräja in Våndävana. Now,
naturally, the father and mother of Kåñëa and Balaräma wanted Them to remain
with them, specifically for the reformatory function of purification, the sacred
thread ceremony. They also wanted to give Them a proper education, for this is the
duty of the father. Another consideration was that all the friends of Kaàsa outside
Mathurä were planning to attack Mathurä. For that reason also Kåñëa’s presence was
required. Kåñëa did not want Våndävana to be disturbed by enemies like Dantavakra
and Jaräsandha. If Kåñëa were to go to Våndävana, these enemies would not only
attack Mathurä, but would go on to Våndävana, and the peaceful inhabitants of
Våndävana would be disturbed. Kåñëa therefore decided to remain in Mathurä, and
Nanda Mahäräja went back to Våndävana. Although the inhabitants of Våndävana
were feeling separation from Kåñëa, Kåñëa was always present with them by His lélä,
or pastimes, and this made them ecstatic.
Since Kåñëa had departed from Våndävana to Mathurä, the inhabitants of
Våndävana, especially mother Yaçodä, Nanda Mahäräja, Çrématé Rädhäräëé, the
gopés and the cowherd boys, were simply thinking of Kåñëa at every step. They were
thinking, “Kåñëa was playing in this way. Kåñëa was blowing His flute. Kåñëa was
joking with us, and Kåñëa was embracing us.” This is called lélä-smaraëa, and it is the
process of association with Kåñëa most recommended by great devotees; even Lord
Caitanya enjoyed lélä-smaraëa association with Kåñëa when He was at Puré. Those
who are in the most exalted position of devotional service and ecstasy can live with
Kåñëa always by remembering His pastimes. Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkur has
given us a transcendental literature entitled Kåñëa-bhävanamåtä, which is full with
Kåñëa’s pastimes. Devotees can remain absorbed in Kåñëa-thought by reading such
books. Any book of Kåñëa-lélä, even this book, Kåñëa, and our Teachings of Lord
Caitanya, is actually solace for devotees who are feeling the separation of Kåñëa.
That Kåñëa and Balaräma did not come to Våndävana can be adjusted as follows:
They did not break Their promise to return to Våndävana, nor were They absent,
but Their presence was necessary in Mathurä.
In the meantime, Uddhava, a cousin-brother of Kåñëa, came to see Kåñëa from
Dvärakä. He was the son of Vasudeva’s brother and was almost the same age as
Kåñëa. His bodily features resembled Kåñëa’s almost exactly. After returning from
His teacher’s home, Kåñëa was pleased to see Uddhava, who happened to be His
dearmost friend. He wanted to send him to Våndävana with a message to the
residents to pacify their deep feeling of separation.
As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, ye yathä mäà prapadyante: Kåñëa is very responsive.
He responds in proportion to the devotee’s advancement in devotional service. The
gopés were thinking of Kåñëa in separation twenty-four hours a day. Kåñëa was also
always thinking of the gopés, mother Yaçodä, Nanda Mahäräja and the residents of
Våndävana, although He appeared to be away from them. He could understand how
they were transcendentally aggrieved, and so He immediately wanted to send
Uddhava to give them a message of solace.
Uddhava is described as the most exalted personality in the Våñëi dynasty, almost
equal to Kåñëa. He was a great friend, and on account of being the direct student of
Båhaspati, the teacher and priest of the heavenly planets, he was very intelligent and
sharp in decision. From the intellectual standpoint, he was highly qualified. Kåñëa,
being a very loving friend of Uddhava, wanted to send him to Våndävana just to
study the highly elevated ecstatic devotional service practiced there. Even if one is
highly elevated in material education and is even the disciple of Båhaspati, he still
has to learn from the gopés and the residents of Våndävana how to love Kåñëa to the
highest degree. Sending Uddhava to Våndävana with a message to the residents of
Våndävana to pacify them was Kåñëa’s special favor to Uddhava.
Lord Kåñëa’s name is Hari, which means one who takes away all the distress from the
surrendered souls. Lord Caitanya states that there cannot be, at any time, a worship
as exalted as that realized by the gopés. Being very anxious about the gopés’ grief,
Kåñëa talked with Uddhava and politely requested him to go to Våndävana. Shaking
Uddhava’s hand with His own hands, He said, “My dear gentle friend Uddhava,
please go immediately to Våndävana and try to pacify My father and mother, Nanda
Mahäräja and Yaçodädevi, and the gopés. They are very much griefstricken, as if
suffering from great ailments. Go and give them a message. I hope their ailments will
be partially relieved. The gopés are always absorbed in thoughts of Me. They have
dedicated body, desire, life and soul to Me. I am anxious not only for the gopés, but
for anyone who sacrifices society, friendship, love and personal comforts for Me. It is
My duty to protect such exalted devotees. The gopés are the most dear. They are
always thinking of Me in such a way that they remain overwhelmed and almost dead
in anxiety due to separation from Me. They are keeping alive simply by thinking
that I am returning to them very soon.”
Requested by Lord Kåñëa, Uddhava immediately left on his chariot and carried the
message to Gokula. He approached Våndävana at sunset, when the cows were
returning home from the pasturing ground. Uddhava and his chariot were covered
by the dust raised by the hooves of the cows. He saw bulls running after cows for
mating; other cows, with overladened milk bags, were running after the calves to fill
them with milk. Uddhava saw that the entire land of Våndävana was filled with
white cows and their calves. Cows were running here and there all over Gokula, and
he could hear the sound of milking. Every residential house in Våndävana was
decorated for the worship of the sun-god and the fire-god and for the reception of
guests, cows, brähmaëas and demigods. Every home was illuminated with light and
incense arranged for sanctification. All over Våndävana there were nice flower
garlands, flying birds and the humming sound of the bees. The lakes were filled with
lotus flowers and with ducks and swans.
Uddhava entered the house of Nanda Mahäräja and was received as a representative
of Väsudeva. Nanda Mahäräja offered him a place and sat down with him to ask
about messages from Kåñëa, Balaräma and other family members in Mathurä. He
could understand that Uddhava was a very confidential friend of Kåñëa and
therefore must have come with good messages. “My dear Uddhava, how is my friend
Vasudeva enjoying life? He is now released from the prison of Kaàsa, and he is now
with his friends and his children, Kåñëa and Balaräma. So he must be very happy.
Tell me about him and his welfare. We are also very happy that Kaàsa, the most
sinful demon, is now killed. He was always envious of the family of the Yadus, his
friends and relatives. Now because of his sinful activities, he is dead and gone, along
with all his brothers.
“Please let us now know whether Kåñëa is remembering His father and mother and
His friends and companions in Våndävana. Does He like to remember His cows, His
gopés, His Govardhana Hill, His pasturing ground in Våndävana? Or has He
forgotten all these now? Is there any possibility of His coming back to His friends
and relatives so that we can again see His beautiful face with its raised nose and
lotus-like eyes? We remember how He saved us from the forest fire, how He saved us
from the great snake Käliya in the Yamunä, how He saved us from so many other
demons, and we simply think how much we are obliged to Him for giving us
protection in so many dangerous situations. My dear Uddhava, when we think of
Kåñëa’s beautiful face and eyes and His different activities here in Våndävana, we
become so overwhelmed that all our activities cease. We simply think of Kåñëa, how
He used to smile and how He looked upon us. When we go to the banks of the
Yamunä and other lakes of Våndävana or near Govardhana Hill or the pasturing
field, we see that the impressions of Kåñëa’s footprints are still on the surface of the
earth. We remember Him playing in those places, because He was constantly visiting
them. When His appearance within our minds becomes manifest, we immediately
become absorbed in thought of Him.
“We think, therefore, that Kåñëa and Balaräma may be chief demigods in heaven
who have appeared before us like ordinary boys in order to execute particular duties
on earth. This was also foretold by Gargamuni when making Kåñëa’s horoscope. If
Kåñëa were not a great personality how could He have killed Kaàsa, who possessed
the strength of 10,000 elephants? Besides Kaàsa, there were very strong wrestlers, as
well as the giant elephant, Kuvalayäpéòa. All these animals and demons were killed
by Him just as a lion kills an ordinary animal. How wonderful it is that Kåñëa took in
one hand the big, heavy bow made of three joined palm trees and broke it very
quickly. How wonderful it is that continually for seven days He held up Govardhana
Hill in one hand. How wonderful it is that He has killed all the demons, like
Pralambäsura, Dhenukäsura, Ariñöäsura, Tåëävarta and Bakäsura. They were so
strong that even the demigods in the heavenly planets were afraid of them, but
Kåñëa killed them as easily as anything.”
While describing the uncommon activities of Kåñëa before Uddhava, Nanda
Mahäräja gradually became overwhelmed and could not speak any more. As for
mother Yaçodä, she sat by the side of her husband and heard the pastimes of Kåñëa
without speaking. She was simply crying incessantly, and milk was pouring from her
breasts. When Uddhava saw Mahäräja Nanda and Yaçodä so extraordinarily
overwhelmed with thoughts of Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and
when he experienced their extraordinary affection for Him, he also became
overwhelmed and began to speak as follows. “My dear mother Yaçodä and Nanda
Mahäräja, you are most respectable among human beings because no one but you can
meditate in such transcendental ecstasy.”
Both Balaräma and Kåñëa are the original Personalities of Godhead from whom the
cosmic manifestation is emanating. They are chief among all personalities. Both of
Them are the effective cause of this material creation. Material nature is conducted
by the puruña incarnations, who are all acting under Kåñëa and Balaräma. By Their
partial representation They enter in the hearts of all living entities. They are the
source of all knowledge and all forgetfulness also. This is confirmed in the Bhagavadgétä,
Fifteenth Chapter: “I am present in everyone’s heart, and I cause one to
remember and to forget. I am the original compiler of the Vedänta, and I am the
actual knower of the Vedas.” If, at the time of death, a person can fix his pure mind
upon Kåñëa even for a moment, he becomes eligible to give up this material body and
appear in his original spiritual body, just as the sun rises with all illumination.
Passing from his life in this way, he immediately enters into the spiritual kingdom,
Vaikuëöha. This is the result of Kåñëa conscious practice.
If we practice Kåñëa consciousness in this present body while we are in a healthy
condition and in good mind, simply by chanting the holy mahä-mantra, Hare Kåñëa,
we will have every possibility of fixing our mind upon Kåñëa at the time of death. If
that is done, then our life becomes successful without any doubt. Similarly, if we
keep our mind always absorbed in fruitive activities for material enjoyment, then
naturally at the time of death we shall think of such activities and again be forced to
enter into a material, conditioned body to suffer the threefold miseries of material
existence. Therefore, to remain always absorbed in Kåñëa consciousness was the
standard of the inhabitants of Våndävana, as exhibited by Mahäräja Nanda, Yaçodä
and the gopés. If we can simply follow their footsteps, even to a minute proportion,
our lives will surely become successful, and we will enter into the spiritual kingdom,
Vaikuëöha.
“My dear mother Yaçodä and Nanda Mahäräja,” Uddhava continued, “you have thus
fixed your minds wholly and solely upon that Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Näräyaëa, in His transcendental form, the cause of impersonal Brahman. The
Brahman effulgence is only the bodily ray of Näräyaëa, and because you are always
absorbed in ecstatic thought of Kåñëa and Balaräma, what activity remains to be
performed by you? I have brought a message from Kåñëa to the effect that He will
soon come back to Våndävana and satisfy you both by His personal presence. Kåñëa
promised that He would come back to Våndävana after finishing His business in
Mathurä. This promise He will surely fulfill. I therefore request you both, who are
the best among all fortunates, to be not aggrieved on account of Kåñëa’s absence.
“You are already perceiving His presence twenty-four hours a day, and yet He will
come and see you very soon. Actually He is present everywhere and in everyone’s
heart, just as fire is present in wood. Since Kåñëa is the Supersoul, no one is His
enemy, no one is His friend, no one is equal to Him, and no one is lower or higher
than Him. Actually He has no father, mother, brother or relative, nor does He
require society, friendship and love. He does not have a material body; He never
appears or takes birth as an ordinary human being. He does not appear in higher or
lower species of life like ordinary living entities, who are forced to take birth on
account of their previous activities. He appears by His internal potency just to give
protection to His devotee. He is never influenced by the modes of material nature,
but when He appears within this material world, it seems that He acts like an
ordinary living entity under the spell of the modes of material nature. In fact, He is
the overseer of this material creation and is not affected by the material modes of
nature. He creates, maintains and dissolves the whole cosmic manifestation. We
wrongly think of Kåñëa and Balaräma as ordinary human beings. We are like dizzy
men who see the whole world wheeling around them. The Personality of Godhead is
no one’s son; He is actually everyone’s father, mother and supreme controller. There
is no doubt of this. Whatever is being experienced, whatever is already in existence,
whatever is not in existence, whatever will be in existence in the future, whatever is
the smallest and whatever is the biggest have no separate existence outside the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everything is resting in Him, but He is out of
touch with everything manifested.”
Nanda and Uddhava thus passed the whole night in discussing Kåñëa. In the
morning, the gopés prepared for morning ärätrika by lighting their lamps and
sprinkling butter mixed with yogurt. After finishing their maìgala-ärätrika, they
engaged themselves in churning butter from yogurt. While the gopés were thus
engaged, the lamps reflected on their ornaments became still more illuminated. The
churning rod, their arms, their earrings, their bangles, their breasts—everything
moved, and the kuìkuma powder gave their faces a saffron luster comparable to the
rising sun. While churning, they also sang the glories of Kåñëa. The two sound
vibrations mixed together, ascended to the sky and sanctified the whole atmosphere.
After sunrise the gopés came as usual to offer their respects to Nanda Mahäräja and
Yaçodä, but when they saw the golden chariot of Uddhava at the door, they began to
inquire among themselves. What was that chariot, and to whom did it belong? Some
of them inquired whether Akrüra, who had taken away Kåñëa, had again returned.
They were not very pleased with Akrüra because, being engaged in the service of
Kaàsa, he took Kåñëa away to the city of Mathurä. All the gopés conjectured that
Akrüra might have come again to fulfill another cruel plan. But they thought, “We
are now dead bodies without our supreme master, Kåñëa. What further act can he
perpetrate on these dead bodies?” While they were talking in this way, Uddhava
finished his morning ablutions, prayers and chanting and came before them.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-fifth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Uddhava
Visits Våndävana.”
46 / Delivery of the Message of Kåñëa to the
Gopés
When the gopés saw Uddhava, they observed that his features almost exactly
resembled the features of Kåñëa, and they could understand that he was a great
devotee of Kåñëa’s. His hands were very long, and his eyes were just like the petals of
the lotus flower. He was dressed in yellow colored garments and wore a garland of
lotus flowers. His face was very beautiful. Having achieved the liberation of särüpya
and having the same bodily features as the Lord, Uddhava looked almost like Kåñëa.
In Kåñëa’s absence, the gopés had been coming dutifully to visit mother Yaçodä’s
house early in the morning. They knew that Nanda Mahäräja and mother Yaçodä
were always griefstricken, and they had made it their first duty to come and pay their
respects to the most exalted elderly personalities of Våndävana. Seeing the friends of
Kåñëa, Nanda and Yaçodä would remember Kåñëa Himself and be satisfied, and the
gopés also would be pleased by seeing Nanda and Yaçodä.
When the gopés saw that Uddhava was representing Kåñëa even in his bodily
features, they thought that he must be a soul completely surrendered unto the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. They began to contemplate, “Who is this boy who
looks just like Kåñëa? He has the same eyes like lotus petals, the same raised nose and
beautiful face, and he is smiling in the same way. In all respects he is resembling
Kåñëa, Çyämasundara, the beautiful dark boy. He is even dressed exactly like Kåñëa.
Where has this boy come from? Who is the fortunate girl who has him for her
husband?” Thus they all talked among themselves. They were very anxious to know
about him, and because they were simply unsophisticated village girls, they
surrounded Uddhava.
When the gopés understood that Uddhava had a message from Kåñëa, they became
very happy and called him to a secluded place to sit down. They wanted to talk with
him very freely and did not want to be embarrassed before unknown persons. They
began to welcome him with polite words, in great submissiveness. “We know that you
are a most confidential associate of Kåñëa and that He has therefore sent you to
Våndävana to give solace to His father and mother. We can understand that family
affection is very strong. Even great sages who have taken to the renounced order of
life cannot give up family members. Kåñëa has therefore sent you to His father and
mother; otherwise He has no further business in Våndävana. He is now in town.
What does He have to know about Våndävana Village or the cows’ pasturing
grounds? These things are not at all useful for Kåñëa because He is now a man in the
city.
“Surely He has nothing to do with persons who do not happen to be His family
members. Why should one bother about those who are outside the family, especially
and specifically those who are attached as the wives of others. Kåñëa is interested in
them as long as there is a need of gratification, like the bumblebees who have
interest in the flowers as long as they want to take the honey out of them. It is very
natural and psychological that a prostitute does not care for her paramour as soon as
he loses his money. Similarly, when the citizens find that a government is incapable
of giving them full protection, they leave the country. A student, after finishing his
education, gives up his relationship with the teacher and the school. A rich man,
after taking his reward from his worshiper, gives him up. When the fruit season is
over, the birds are no longer interested in the tree. Just after eating in the house of a
lord, the guest gives up his relationship with the host. After a forest fire, when there
is a scarcity of green grass, the deer and other animals give up the forest. And so a
man, after enjoying his girl friend, gives up his connection with her.” In this way, all
the gopés began to indirectly accuse Kåñëa by citing so many similes.
Uddhava understood that the gopés of Våndävana were all simply absorbed in the
thought of Kåñëa and His childhood activities. While talking about Kåñëa with
Uddhava, they forgot all about their household business. They even forgot about
themselves as their interest in Kåñëa increased more and more.
One of the gopés, namely Çrématé Rädhäräëé, was so much absorbed in thoughts of
Kåñëa by dint of Her personal touch with Him that She actually began to talk with a
bumblebee which was flying there and trying to touch Her lotus feet. While another
gopé was talking with Kåñëa’s messenger Uddhava, Çrématé Rädhäräëé took that
bumblebee to be a messenger from Kåñëa and began to talk with it as follows.
“Bumblebee, you are accustomed to drinking honey from the flowers, and therefore
you have preferred to be a messenger of Kåñëa, who is of the same nature as you. I
have seen on your moustaches the red powder of kuìkuma, which was smeared on
the flower garland of Kåñëa while He was pressing the breast of some other girl who
is My competitor. You are feeling very proud by touching that flower, and your
moustaches have become reddish. You have come here carrying a message for Me.
You are anxious to touch My feet. But My dear bumblebee, let me warn you—don’t
touch Me! I don’t want any messages from your unreliable master. You are the
unreliable servant of an unreliable master.” It may be that Çrématé Rädhäräëé
purposely addressed that bumblebee sarcastically in order to criticize the messenger
Uddhava. Indirectly, Çrématé Rädhäräëé saw Uddhava as not only resembling Kåñëa’s
bodily features but as being equal to Kåñëa. In this way She indicated that Uddhava
was as unreliable as Kåñëa Himself. Çrématé Rädhäräëé wanted to give specific
reasons why She was dissatisfied with Kåñëa and His messengers.
She addressed the bumblebee, “Your master Kåñëa is exactly of your quality. You sit
down on a flower, and after taking a little honey you immediately fly away and sit in
another flower and taste. You’re just like your master Kåñëa. He gave us the chance
of tasting the touch of His lips and then left altogether. I know also that the goddess
of fortune, Lakñmé, who is always in the midst of the lotus flower, is constantly
engaged in Kåñëa’s service. But I do not know why she has become so captivated by
Kåñëa. She is attached to Him, although she knows His actual character. As far as we
are concerned, we are more intelligent than that goddess of fortune. We are not
going to be cheated anymore by Kåñëa or His messengers.”
According to expert opinion, Lakñmé, the goddess of fortune is a subordinate
expansion of Çrématé Rädhäräëé. As Kåñëa has numerous expansions of Viñëumürtis,
so His pleasure potency, Rädhäräëé, also has innumerable expansions of
goddesses of fortune. Therefore the goddess of fortune, Lakñméjé, is always anxious to
be elevated to the position of the gopés.
Çrématé Rädhäräëé continued: “You foolish bumblebee, you are trying to satisfy Me
and get a reward by singing the glories of Kåñëa, but it is a useless attempt. We are
bereft of all our possessions. We are away from our homes and families. We know
very well about Kåñëa. We know even more than you. So whatever you make up
about Him will be old stories to us. Kåñëa is now in the city and is better known as
the friend of Arjuna. He now has many new girl friends, and they are no doubt very
happy in association with Him. Because the lusty burning sensation of their breasts
has been satisfied by Kåñëa, they are now happy. If you go there and glorify Kåñëa,
they may be pleased to reward you. You are just trying to pacify Me by your behavior
as a flatterer, and therefore you have put your head under My feet. But I know the
trick which you are trying to play. I know that you are a messenger coming from a
great trickster, Kåñëa. Therefore please leave Me.
“I can understand that you are very expert in reuniting two opposing parties, but at
the same time you must know that I cannot place My reliance upon you, nor upon
your master Kåñëa. We left our families, husbands, children and relatives only for
Kåñëa, and yet He did not feel any obligation in exchange. He has left us for lost. Do
you think we can place our faith in Him again? We know that Kåñëa cannot be long
without the association of young women. That is His nature. He is finding difficulty
in Mathurä because He is no longer in the village among innocent cowherd girls. He
is in the aristocratic society and must be feeling difficulty in making friendships with
the young girls. Perhaps you have come here to canvass again or to take us there. But
why should Kåñëa expect us to return there? He is greatly qualified to entice all other
girls, not only in Våndävana or Mathurä, but all over the universe. His wonderfully
enchanting smile is so attractive and the movement of His eyebrows so beautiful that
He can call for any woman from the heavenly, middle or plutonic planets. Mahä-
Lakñmé, the greatest of all goddesses of fortune, also hankers to render Him some
service. In comparison to all these women of the universe, what are we? We are very
insignificant.
“Kåñëa advertises Himself as very magnanimous, and He is praised by great saints.
His qualifications could be perfectly utilized if He would only show us mercy because
we are downtrodden and neglected by Him. You poor messenger, you are only a less
intelligent servant. You do not know much about Kåñëa, how ungrateful and
hardhearted He has been, not only in this life, but in His previous lives also. We
have all heard this from our grandmother, Paurëamäsé. She has informed us that
Kåñëa was born in a kñatriya family previous to this birth and was known as
Rämacandra. In that birth, instead of killing Väli, an enemy of His friend, in the
manner of a kñatriya, He killed him just like a hunter. A hunter takes a secure hiding
place and then kills an animal without facing it. So Lord Rämacandra, as a kñatriya,
should have fought with Väli face to face, but instigated by His friend, He killed him
from behind a tree. Thus He deviated from the religious principles of a kñatriya.
Also, He was so attracted by the beauty of Sétä that He converted Çürpaëakhä, the
sister of Rävaëa, into an ugly woman by cutting off her nose and ears. Çürpaëakhä
proposed an intimate relationship with Him, and as a kñatriya, He should have
satisfied her. But He was so selfish that He could not forget Sétädevé and converted
Çürpaëakhä into an ugly woman. Before that birth as a kñatriya, He took His birth as
a brähmaëa boy known as Vämanadeva and asked charity from Bali Mahäräja. Bali
Mahäräja was so magnanimous that he gave Him whatever he had, yet Kåñëa as
Vämanadeva ungratefully arrested him just like a crow and pushed him down to the
Pätäla kingdom. We know all about Kåñëa and how ungrateful He is. But here is the
difficulty: in spite of His being so cruel and hardhearted, it is very difficult for us to
give up talking about Him. Not only are we unable to give up this talk, but great
sages and saintly persons are also engaged in talking about Him. We gopés of
Våndävana do not want to make any more friendships with this blackish boy, but we
do not know how we shall be able to give up remembering and talking about His
activities.”
Since Kåñëa is absolute, His so-called unkind activities are as relishable as His kind
activities. Saintly persons and great devotees like the gopés cannot give up Kåñëa in
any circumstances. Lord Caitanya therefore prayed, “Kåñëa, You are free and
independent in all respects. You can either embrace Me or crush Me under Your feet
—whatever You like. You may make Me brokenhearted by not letting Me see You
throughout my whole life, but You are my only object of love.”
“In My opinion,” Çrématé Rädhäräëé continued, “one should not hear about Kåñëa,
because as soon as a drop of the nectar of His transcendental activities is poured into
the ear, one immediately rises above the platform of duality, attraction and
rejection. Being completely freed from the attraction of material attachment, one
gives up the attachment for this material world, family, home, wife, children and
everything which is materially dear to every person. Being dispossessed of all
material acquisition, one makes his relatives and himself unhappy. Then he wanders
in search of Kåñëa, either as a human being or in other species of life, even as a bird.
It is very difficult to actually understand Kåñëa, His name, His quality, His form, His
pastimes, His paraphernalia and His entourage.”
Çrématé Rädhäräëé continued to speak to the black messenger of Kåñëa. “Please do
not talk any more about Kåñëa. It is better to talk about something else. We are
already doomed, like the black-spotted she-deer in the forest who are enchanted by
the sweet musical vibration of the hunter. In the same way, we have been enchanted
by the sweet words of Kåñëa, and again and again we are thinking of the rays of the
nails of His toes. We are becoming more and more lustful for His association;
therefore, I request you not to talk of Kåñëa anymore.”
This talk of Rädhäräëé with the bumblebee messenger and Her accusing Kåñëa, and,
at the same time, Her inability to give up talking about Him, are symptoms of the
topmost transcendental ecstasy, called mahäbhäva. The ecstatic mahäbhäva
manifestation is possible only in the persons of Rädhäräëé and Her associates. Great
äcäryas like Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé and Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkur have analyzed
these mahäbhäva speeches of Çrématé Rädhäräëé, and they have described the
different sentiments such as udghürëä, bewilderment, and jalpapratijalpa, talking in
different ways. In Rädhäräëé is found the science of ujjala, or the brightest jewel or
love of God. While Rädhäräëé was talking with the bee and the bee was flying hither
and thither, it all of a sudden disappeared from Her sight. She was in full mourning
due to separation from Kåñëa and was feeling ecstasy by talking with the bee. But as
soon as the bee disappeared, She became almost mad, thinking that the messengerbee
might have returned to Kåñëa to inform Him all about Her talking against Him.
“Kåñëa must have been very sorry to hear it,” She thought. In this way She was very
much overwhelmed with another type of ecstasy.
In the meantime, the bee, flying hither and thither, appeared before Her again. She
thought, “Kåñëa is still kind to Me. In spite of the messenger carrying disruptive
messages, He is so kind that He has again sent the bee to take Me to Him.” Çrématé
Rädhäräëé was very careful this time not to say anything against Kåñëa. “My dear
friend, I welcome you,” She said. “Kåñëa is so kind that He has again sent you. Kåñëa
is so kind and affectionate to Me that He has sent you back, fortunately, in spite of
your carrying My message against Him. My dear friend, you can ask from Me
whatever you want. I shall give you anything because you are so kind upon Me. You
have come to take Me to Kåñëa because He is not able to come here. He is
surrounded by new girl friends in Mathurä. But you are a tiny creature. How can you
take Me there? How will you be able to help Me in meeting Kåñëa while He is taking
rest there along with the goddess of fortune and embracing her to His chest? Never
mind. Let us forget all these things about My going there or sending you. Please let
Me know how Kåñëa is faring in Mathurä. Tell Me if He still remembers His foster
father, Nanda Mahäräja, His affectionate mother, Yaçodä, His cowherd friends and
His poor friends like us, the gopés. I am sure that He must sometimes sing about us.
We served Him just like maidservants, without any payment. Is there any possibility
that Kåñëa will again come back and place His arms around us? His limbs are always
fragrant with the aguru scent. Please put all these inquiries to Kåñëa.”
Uddhava was standing near, and he heard Rädhäräëé talking in this way, as if She
had become almost mad after Kåñëa. He was exceedingly surprised at how the gopés
were accustomed to think of Kåñëa constantly in that topmost ecstasy of mahäbhäva
love. He had brought a message in writing from Kåñëa, and now he wanted to
present it before the gopés, just to pacify them. He said, “My dear gopés, your mission
of human life is now successful. You are all wonderful devotees of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; therefore you are eligible to be worshiped by all kinds of
people. You are worshipable throughout the three worlds because your minds are
wonderfully absorbed in the thought of Väsudeva, Kåñëa. He is the goal of all kinds
of pious activities and ritualistic performances, such as giving in charity, rigidly
following the austerity of vows, undergoing severe penances and igniting the fire of
sacrifice. He is the purpose behind the chanting of different mantras, the reading of
the Vedas, controlling the senses and concentrating the mind in meditation. These
are some of the many different processes for self-realization and attainment of
perfection of life. But actually they are only meant for realizing Kåñëa and
dovetailing oneself in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead.” This is the last instruction of Bhagavad-gétä also; although there are
descriptions of different kinds of processes of self-realization, at the end Kåñëa
recommended one should give up everything and simply surrender unto Him. All
other processes are meant for teaching one how to surrender ultimately unto the
lotus feet of Kåñëa. The Bhagavad-gétä also says that this surrendering process is
completed by a sincere person executing the processes of self-realization in wisdom
and austerity after many births.”
Since the perfection of such austerity was completely manifested in the life of the
gopés, Uddhava was fully satisfied upon seeing their transcendental position. He
continued to say: “My dear gopés, the mentality which you have developed in
relationship with Kåñëa is very, very difficult to attain, even for great sages and
saintly persons. You have attained the highest perfectional stage of life. It is a great
boon for you that you have fixed your mind upon Kåñëa and have decided to have
Kåñëa only, giving up your family, home, relatives, husbands and children for the
sake of the Supreme Personality. Because your mind is now fully absorbed in Kåñëa,
the Supreme Soul, universal love has automatically developed in you. I think myself
very fortunate that I have been favored, by your grace, to see you in this situation.”
When Uddhava said that he had a message from Kåñëa, the gopés were more
interested in hearing the message than in hearing about their exalted position. They
did not very much like being praised for their high position. They showed their
anxiety to hear the message which Uddhava had brought from Kåñëa. Uddhava said,
“My dear gopés, I am especially deputed to carry this message to you, who are such
great and gentle devotees. Kåñëa has specifically sent me to you because I am His
most confidential servitor.”
The written message which Uddhava brought from Kåñëa was not delivered to the
gopés by Uddhava, but he personally read it before them. The message was very
gravely written, so that not only the gopés, but all empiric philosophers might
understand how pure love of God is intrinsically integrated with all the different
energies of the Supreme Lord. From Vedic information it is understood that the
Supreme Lord has multi-energies, paräsya çaktir vividhaiva çrüyate. Also, the gopés
were such intimate personal friends of Kåñëa that while He was writing the message
for them, He was much moved and could not write distinctly. Uddhava, as the
student of Båhaspati, had very sharp intelligence, so instead of handing over the
written message, he thought it wise to read it personally and explain it to them.
Uddhava continued: “These are the words from the Personality of Godhead. ‘My
dear gopés, My dear friends, please know that separation between ourselves is
impossible at any time, at any place or under any circumstances, because I am allpervading.'”
This all-pervasiveness of Kåñëa is explained in the Bhagavad-gétä, both in the Ninth
and Seventh chapters. Kåñëa is all-pervasive in His impersonal feature; everything is
resting in Him, but He is not personally present everywhere. In the Seventh Chapter
also, it is stated that the five gross elements, earth, water, fire, air and sky, and the
three subtle elements, mind, intelligence, and ego, are all His inferior energies. But
there is another, superior energy, which is called the living entity. The living entities
are also directly part and parcel of Kåñëa. Therefore Kåñëa is the source of both the
material and spiritual energies. He is always intermingled with everything as cause
and effect. Not only the gopés, but all living entities are always inseparably
connected with Kåñëa in all circumstances. The gopés, however, are perfectly and
thoroughly in cooperation in their relationship with Kåñëa, whereas the living
entities under the spell of mäyä are forgetful of Kåñëa. They think themselves as
separate identities having no connection with Kåñëa.
Love of Kåñëa, or Kåñëa consciousness, is therefore the perfectional stage of real
knowledge in understanding things as they are. Our minds can never be vacant. The
mind is constantly occupied with some kind of thought, and the subject matter of
such thought cannot be outside the eight elements of Kåñëa’s energy. One who
knows this philosophical aspect of all thoughts is actually a wise man, and he
surrenders unto Kåñëa. The gopés are the typical example of this perfectional stage of
knowledge. They are not simple mental speculators. Their minds are always in
Kåñëa. The mind is nothing but the energy of Kåñëa. Actually, any person who can
think, feel, act and will cannot be separated from Kåñëa. But the stage in which he
can understand his eternal relationship is called Kåñëa consciousness. The diseased
condition in which he cannot understand his eternal relationship with Kåñëa is the
contaminated stage, or mäyä. Since the gopés are on the platform of pure
transcendental knowledge, their minds are always filled with Kåñëa consciousness.
For example, as there is no separation between fire and air, so there is no separation
between Kåñëa and the living entities. When the living entities forget Kåñëa, they
are not in their normal condition. As for the gopés, because they are always thinking
of Kåñëa they are on the absolute stage of perfection in knowledge. The so-called
empiric philosophers sometimes think that the path of bhakti is meant for the less
intelligent, but unless the so-called man of knowledge comes to the platform of
bhakti, his knowledge is certainly impure and imperfect. Actually, the stage of
perfecting one’s eteranl relationship with Kåñëa is love in separation. But that is also
illusory because there is no separation. The gopés were never seperated from Kåñëa.
Even from the philosophical point of view, there was no separation.
The cosmic manifestation is also not separate from Kåñëa. “Nothing is separate from
Me; the whole cosmic manifestation is resting on Me and is not separate from Me.
Before the creation, I was existing.” This is confirmed in the Vedic literature: before
creation, there was only Näräyaëa. There were no Brahmä and no Çiva as assistants.
The whole cosmic manifestation is manipulated by the three modes of material
nature. Brahmä is the incarnation of the quality of passion. It is said that Brahmä
created this universe, but Brahmä is the secondary creator; the original creator is
Näräyaëa. This is also confirmed by Çaìkaräcärya: näräyaëaù paro ’vyaktät.
“Näräyaëa is transcendental, beyond this cosmic creation.”
Kåñëa creates, maintains, and annihilates the whole cosmic manifestation by
expanding Himself in different incarnations. Everything is Kåñëa, and everything is
depending on Kåñëa, but He is not perceived in the material energy. Material energy
is called mäyä, or illusion. In the spiritual energy, however, Kåñëa is perceived at
every step, in all circumstances. This perfectional stage of understanding is present
in the gopés. As Kåñëa is always aloof from the cosmic manifestation, although it is
completely dependent on Him, so a living entity is also completely aloof from his
material conditional life. The material body has developed on the basis of spiritual
existence. In the Bhagavad-gétä the whole cosmic manifestation is accepted as the
mother of the living entities, and Kåñëa is the father. As the father impregnates the
mother by injecting the living entity within the womb, so all the living entities are
injected by Kåñëa in the womb of the material nature. They come out in different
bodies according to their different fruitive activities. In all circumstances, the living
entity is aloof from this material conditioned life.
If we simply study our own bodies, we can understand how a living entity is always
aloof from this bodily encagement. Every action of the body is taking place by the
interaction of the three modes of material nature. We can see at every moment
many changes taking place in bodies, but the spirit soul is aloof from all changes.
One can neither create nor annihilate nor interfere with the actions of material
nature. The living entity is therefore entrapped by the material body and is
conditioned in three stages, namely while awake, asleep and unconscious. The mind
is acting through all the three conditions of life; the living entity in his sleeping or
dreaming condition sees something as real, and in his awake condition he sees the
same thing as unreal. It is concluded, therefore, that under certain circumstances he
accepts something as real, and under other circumstances he accepts the very same
thing as unreal. These matters are the subject matter of study for the empiric
philosopher or the säìkhya-yogi. In order to come to the right conclusion, säìkhyayogés
undergo severe austerities and penances. They practice control of the senses
and renunciation.
All these different ways of determining the ultimate goal of life are compared to
rivers. Kåñëa is the ocean. As the rivers flow down toward the ocean, all attempts for
knowledge flow toward Kåñëa. After many, many births of endeavor, when one
actually comes to Kåñëa, he attains the perfectional stage. Kåñëa says in the
Bhagavad-gétä: “All are pursuing the path of realizing Me, but those who have
adopted courses without any bhakti find their endeavor very troublesome.” Kleço
’dhikataras teñäm: Kåñëa cannot be understood unless one comes to the point of
bhakti.
Three paths are enunciated in the Gétä: karma-yoga, jïäna-yoga and bhakti-yoga.
Those who are too addicted to fruitive activities are advised to perform actions
which will bring them to bhakti. Those who are addicted to the frustration of
empiric philosophy are also advised to realize bhakti. Karma-yoga is different from
ordinary karma, and jïäna-yoga is different from jïäna. Ultimately, as stated by the
Lord in the Bhagavad-gétä, bhaktya mäà abhijänäti: only through execution of
devotional service can one understand Kåñëa. The perfectional stage of devotional
service was achieved by the gopés because they did not care to know anything but
Kåñëa. It is confirmed in the Vedas, yasmin eva vijïäte sarvam eva vijïätam
bhavanti. This means that simply by knowing Kåñëa all other knowledge is
automatically acquired.
Kåñëa continued: “Transcendental knowledge of the Absolute is no longer necessary
for you. You were accustomed to love Me from the very beginning of your lives.”
Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is specifically required for persons who want
liberation from material existence. But one who has attained love for Kåñëa is
already on the platform of liberation. As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, anyone
engaged in unalloyed devotional service is to be considered situated on the
transcendental platform of liberation. The gopés were not actually feeling any pangs
of material existence, but they were feeling the separation of Kåñëa. Kåñëa therefore
said, “My dear gopés, in order to increase your superexcellent love for Me, I have
purposely separated Myself from you. I have done this so that you may be in constant
meditation on Me.”
The gopés are in the perfectional stage of meditation. The yogés are generally more
fond of meditation than the execution of devotional service to the Lord, but they do
not know that the perfectional stage of devotion is the attainment of the perfection
of the yoga system. This constant meditation on Kåñëa by the gopés is confirmed in
the Bhagavad-gétä to be the topmost yoga. Kåñëa knew very well the psychology of
women. When a woman’s beloved is away, she thinks of him meditatively, and He is
present before her. Kåñëa wanted to teach through the behavior of the gopés. One
who is constantly in trance like the gopés surely attains the lotus feet of Kåñëa.
Lord Caitanya taught people in general the method of vipralambha, which is the
method of rendering service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the feeling
of separation. The six Gosvämés also taught worship of Kåñëa in the feeling of the
gopés in separation. The prayers of Çréniväsa Äcärya about the Gosvämés explain
these matters very clearly. Çréniväsa Äcärya said that the Gosvämés were always
absorbed in the ocean of transcendental feelings in the mood of the gopés. When
they lived in Våndävana they were searching for Kåñëa, crying, “Where is Kåñëa?
Where are the gopés? Where are You, Çrématé Rädhäräëé?” They never said, “We
have now seen Rädhä and Kåñëa, and therefore our mission is fulfilled.” Their
mission remained always unfulfilled; they never met Rädhä and Kåñëa. At the time
of the räsa dance, those gopés who could not join the räsa-lélä with Kåñëa gave up
their bodies simply by thinking of Him. Absorption in Kåñëa consciousness by
feeling separation is thus the quickest method for attainment of the lotus feet of
Kåñëa. By the personal statement of Kåñëa, the gopés were convinced about the
strength of feelings of separation. They were actually experiencing the supernatural
method of Kåñëa worship and were much relieved and happy to understand it.
They began to speak as follows: “We have heard that King Kaàsa, who was always a
source of trouble for the Yadu dynasty, has now been killed. This is good news for us.
We hope, therefore, that the members of the Yadu dynasty are very happy in the
association of Kåñëa, who can fulfill all the desires of His devotees. My dear
Uddhava, kindly let us know whether Kåñëa sometimes thinks of us while in the
midst of highly enlightened society girls in Mathurä. We know that the women and
girls in Mathurä are not village women. They are enlightened and beautiful. Their
bashful smiling glances and other feminine features must be very pleasing to Kåñëa.
We know very well that Kåñëa is always fond of the behavior of beautiful women. It
seems, therefore, that He has been entrapped by the women of Mathurä. My dear
Uddhava, will you kindly let us know if Kåñëa sometimes remembers us while He is
in the midst of other women?”
Another gopé inquired: “Does He remember that night in the midst of kumadini
flowers and moonlight, when Våndävana became exceedingly beautiful? Kåñëa was
dancing with us, and the atmosphere was surcharged with the sound of foot bells. We
exchanged pleasing conversation then. Does He remember that particular night? We
remember that night, and we feel separation. Separation from Kåñëa makes us
agitated, as if there were fire in our bodies. He proposed to come back to Våndävana
to extinguish the fire, just as a cloud appears in the sky to extinguish the forest fire
by its downpour.”
Another gopé said, “Kåñëa has killed His enemy, and He has victoriously achieved
the kingdom of Kaàsa. Maybe He is married with a king’s daughter by this time and
living very happily among His kinsmen and friends. Therefore, why should He come
to this village of Våndävana?”
Another gopé said, “Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the husband of
the goddess of fortune, and He is self-sufficient. He has no business either with us,
the girls in the Våndävana forest, or with the city girls in Mathurä. He is the great
Supersoul; He has nothing to do with any of us, either here or there.”
Another gopé said, “It is an unreasonable hope for us to expect Kåñëa to come back to
Våndävana. We should try instead to be happy in disappointment. Even Piìgalä, the
great prostitute, said that disappointment is the greatest pleasure. We all know these
things, but it is very difficult for us to give up the expectation of Kåñëa’s coming back
again. Who can forget a solitary conversation with Kåñëa, on whose breast the
goddess of fortune always remains, in spite of Kåñëa’s not desiring her? My dear
Uddhava, Våndävana is the land of rivers, forests and cows. Here the vibration of
the flute is heard, and Kåñëa, along with His elder brother, Çré Balaräma, enjoyed the
atmosphere in our company. Thus the environment of Våndävana is constantly
reminding us of Kåñëa and Balaräma. The impression of His footprints is on the land
of Våndävana, which is the residential place of the goddess of fortune, but such signs
cannot help us to get Kåñëa.”
The gopés further expressed that Våndävana was still full of all opulence and good
fortune; there was no scarcity or want in Våndävana as far as material necessities
were concerned, but in spite of such opulence they could not forget Kåñëa and
Balaräma.
“We are constantly remembering various attractive features of beautiful Kåñëa, His
walking, His smiling and His joking words. We have all become lost by the dealings
of Kåñëa, and it is impossible for us to forget Him. We are always praying for Him,
exclaiming, ‘Dear Lord, dear husband of the goddess of fortune, dear Lord of
Våndävana and deliverer of the distressed devotees! We are now fallen and merged
into an ocean of distress. Please, therefore, come back again to Våndävana and
deliver us from this pitiable condition.'”
Uddhava minutely studied the transcendental abnormal condition of the gopés in
their separation from Kåñëa, and he thought it wise to repeat all the pastimes of Çré
Kåñëa over and over again. Materialistic persons are always in a burning condition
on account of the blazing fire of material miseries. The gopés also were burning in a
transcendental blazing fire due to separation from Kåñëa. The blazing fire which was
exasperating the gopés, however, is different from the fire of the material world. The
gopés constantly want the association of Kåñëa, whereas the materialistic person
wants the advantage of material comforts.
It is stated by Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkur that Kåñëa saved the cowherd boys
from the blazing forest fire within a second, while their eyes were closed. Similarly,
Uddhava advised the gopés that they could be saved from the fire of separation by
closing their eyes and meditating on the activities of Kåñëa from the very beginning
of their association with Him. From the outside, the gopés could visualize all the
pastimes of Kåñëa by hearing the descriptions of Uddhava, and from inside they
could remember those pastimes. From the instruction of Uddhava, the gopés could
understand that Kåñëa was not separate from them. As they were constantly
thinking of Kåñëa, Kåñëa was also thinking of them constantly while at Mathurä.
Uddhava’s messages and instructions saved the gopés from immediate death, and the
gopés acknowledged the benediction from Uddhava. Uddhava practically acted as
the preceptor spiritual master of the gopés, and they in return they worshiped him as
they would worship Kåñëa. It is recommended in authoritative scriptures that the
spiritual master should be worshiped on the level of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, because of his being His very confidential servitor, and it is accepted by
great authorities that the spiritual master is the external manifestation of Kåñëa.
The gopés were relieved from their transcendental burning condition by realizing
that Kåñëa was with them. Internally, they remembered His association within their
hearts, and externally Uddhava helped them to appreciate Kåñëa by conclusive
instructions.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in the scriptures as adhokñaja,
which indicates that He is beyond the perception of all material senses. Although He
is beyond the perception of material senses, He is present in everyone’s heart. At the
same time, He is present everywhere by His all-pervasive feature of Brahman. All
three transcendental features of the Absolute Truth (Bhagavän the Personality of
Godhead, Paramätmä the localized Supersoul, and the all-pervasive Brahman) can be
realized simply by studying the condition of the gopés in their meeting with
Uddhava, as described by the Çrémad-Bhägavatam.
It is said by Çréniväsa Äcärya that the six Gosvämés were always merged in thoughts
of the activities of the gopés. Caitanya Mahäprabhu has also recommended the gopés’
method of worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as superexcellent. Çréla
Çukadeva Gosvämé has also recommended that anyone who hears from the right
source about the dealings of the gopés with Kåñëa and who follows the instructions
will be elevated to the topmost position of devotional service and will be able to give
up the lust of material enjoyment.
All the gopés were solaced by the instruction of Uddhava, and they requested him to
stay in Våndävana for a few days more. Uddhava agreed to their proposal and stayed
with them not only for a few days, but for a few months. He always kept them
engaged in thinking of the transcendental message of Kåñëa and His pastimes, and
the gopés were feeling as if they were experiencing direct association with Kåñëa.
While Uddhava remained in Våndävana, the inhabitants enjoyed his association. As
they discussed the activities of Kåñëa, the days passed just like moments.
Våndävana’s natural atmosphere, with the presence of the River Yamunä, its nice
orchards of trees decorated with various fruits, Govardhana Hill, caves, blooming
flowers—all combined to inspire Uddhava to narrate Kåñëa’s pastimes. The
inhabitants enjoyed Uddhava’s association in the same way as they enjoyed the
association of Kåñëa.
Uddhava was attracted by the attitude of the gopés because they were completely
attached to Kåñëa, and Uddhava was inspired by the gopés’ anxiety for Kåñëa. He
began to offer them his respectful obeisances and composed songs in praise of their
transcendental qualities as follows: “Among all the living entities who have accepted
the human form of life, the gopés are superexcellently successful in their mission.
Their thought is thoroughly absorbed in the lotus feet of Kåñëa. Great sages and
saintly persons are also trying to be absorbed in meditation upon the lotus feet of
Kåñëa, who is Mukunda Himself, the giver of liberation, but the gopés, having
lovingly accepted the Lord, are automatically accustomed to this habit. They do not
depend on any yogic practice. The conclusion is that one who has attained the gopés’
condition of life does not have to take birth as Lord Brahmä or be born in a
brähmaëa family or be initiated as a brähmaëa.”
Çré Uddhava confirmed the statement of Bhagavad-gétä spoken by Lord Kåñëa; one
who takes shelter of Him for the right purpose, be he a çüdra or lower, will attain the
highest goal of life. The gopés have set the standard of devotion for the whole world.
By following in the footsteps of the gopés by constantly thinking of Kåñëa, one can
attain the highest perfectional stage of spiritual life. The gopés were not born of any
highly cultured family; they were born of cowherd men, and yet they developed the
highest love of Kåñëa. For self-realization or God realization there is no need to take
birth in a high family. The only thing needed is ecstatic development of love of God.
In achieving perfection in Kåñëa consciousness, no other qualification is required
than to be constantly engaged in the loving service of Kåñëa. Kåñëa is the supreme
nectar, the reservoir of all pleasure. The effect of taking up Kåñëa consciousness is
just like that of drinking nectar; with or without one’s knowledge, it will act. The
active principle of Kåñëa consciousness will manifest itself everywhere; it does not
matter how and where one has taken his birth. Kåñëa will bestow His benediction
upon anyone who takes to Kåñëa consciousness, without any doubt. The supreme
benediction attained by the gopés in spite of their being born in the family of
cowherd men was never attained even by the goddess of fortune herself, and
certainly not by the denizens of heaven, though their bodily forms are like lotuses.
The gopés are so fortunate that during räsa-lélä Kåñëa personally embraced them with
His arms. Kåñëa kissed them face to face. Certainly it is not possible for any women
in the three worlds to achieve this except the gopés.
Uddhava appreciated the exalted position of the gopés and wished to fall down and
take the dust of their feet on his head. Yet he did not dare to ask the gopés to offer
the dust from their feet; perhaps they would not be agreeable. He therefore desired
to have his head smeared with the dust of the gopés’ feet without their knowledge.
He desired to become only an insignificant clump of grass or herbs in the land of
Våndävana.
The gopés were so much attracted to Kåñëa that when they heard the vibration of
His flute, they instantly left their families, children, honor and feminine bashfulness
and ran towards the place where Kåñëa was standing. They did not consider whether
they were passing over the road or through the jungles. Imperceptibly, the dust of
their feet was bestowed on small grasses and herbs of Våndävana. Not daring to place
the dust of the gopés’ feet on his own head, Uddhava aspired to have a future birth in
the position of a clump of grass and herbs. He would then be able to have the dust of
the gopés’ feet.
Uddhava appreciated the extraordinary fortune of the gopés, who relieved
themselves of all kinds of material contamination by placing on their high, beautiful
breasts the lotus feet of Kåñëa, which are not only worshiped by the goddess of
fortune, but by such exalted demigods as Brahmä and Lord Çiva, and which are
meditated on by great yogés within their hearts. Thus Uddhava desired to be able to
constantly pray to be honored by the dust of the gopés’ lotus feet. The gopés’ chanting
of the transcendental pastimes of Lord Kåñëa has become celebrated all over the
three worlds.
After living in Våndävana for some days, Uddhava desired to go back to Kåñëa, and
he begged permission to leave from Nanda Mahäräja and Yaçodä. He had a farewell
meeting with the gopés, and taking permission of them also, he mounted his chariot
to start for Mathurä.
When Uddhava was about to leave, all the inhabitants of Våndävana, headed by
Mahäräja Nanda and Yaçodä, came to bid him good-bye and presented him with
various kinds of valuable goods secured in Våndävana. They expressed their feelings
with tears in their eyes due to intense attachment for Kåñëa. All of them desired
benediction from Uddhava. They desired always to remember the glorious activities
of Kåñëa and wanted their minds to be always fixed upon His lotus feet, their words
always engaged in glorifying Kåñëa, and their bodies always engaged in bowing down
and constantly remembering Him. This prayer of the inhabitants of Våndävana is
the superexcellent type of self-realization. The method is very simple: to fix the mind
always on the lotus feet of Kåñëa, to talk always of Kåñëa without passing on to any
other subject matter, and to engage the body in Kåñëa’s service constantly.
Specifically in this human form of life, one should engage his life, his resources,
words and intelligence for the service of the Lord. Such kinds of activities only can
elevate a human being to the highest level of perfection. This is the verdict of all
authorities.
The inhabitants of Våndävana said: “By the will of the supreme authority and
according to the results of our own work, we may take our birth anywhere. It doesn’t
matter where we are born, but our only prayer is that we may simply be engaged in
Kåñëa consciousness.” A pure devotee of Lord Kåñëa never desires to be promoted to
the heavenly planets, or even to Vaikuëöha or Goloka Våndävana, because he has no
desire for his own personal satisfaction. A pure devotee regards both heaven and hell
to be on an equal level. Without Kåñëa, heaven is hell; and with Kåñëa, hell is
heaven. When Uddhava had sufficiently honored the worship of the pure devotees
of Våndävana, he returned to Mathurä and to his master, Kåñëa. After offering
respects by bowing down before Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma, he began to describe the
wonderful devotional life of the inhabitants of Våndävana. He presented all of the
gifts given by the inhabitants of Våndävana to Vasudeva, the father of Kåñëa, and
Ugrasena, the grandfather of Kåñëa.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-sixth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Delivery
of the Message of Kåñëa to the Gopés.”
47 / Kåñëa Pleases His Devotees
For days together, Kåñëa heard from Uddhava all the details of his visit to
Våndävana, of the condition of His father and mother, and of the gopés and the
cowherd boys. Lord Kåñëa was fully satisfied that Uddhava was able to solace them
by his instruction and by the message delivered to them.
Lord Kåñëa then decided to go to the house of Kubjä, the hunchback woman who
had pleased Him by offering Him sandalwood when He was entering the city of
Mathurä. As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa always tries to please His devotees,
and the devotees try to please Kåñëa. As the devotees always think of Kåñëa within
their hearts, so Kåñëa also thinks of His devotees within Himself. When Kubjä was
converted into a beautiful society girl, she wanted Kåñëa to come to her place so that
she could try to receive and worship Him in her own way. Society girls generally try
to satisfy their clients by offering their bodies to the men to enjoy. But this society
girl, Kubjä, was actually captivated by a lust to satisfy her senses with Kåñëa. When
Kåñëa desired to go to the house of Kubjä, He certainly had no desire for sense
gratification. By supplying the sandalwood pulp to Kåñëa, Kubjä had already satisfied
His senses. On the plea of her sense gratification, He decided to go to her house, not
actually for sense gratification, but to turn her into a pure devotee. Kåñëa is always
served by many thousands of goddesses of fortune; therefore He has no need to
satisfy His senses by going to a society girl. But as He is kind to everyone, He decided
to go there. It is said that the moon does not withhold its shining from the courtyard
of a crooked person. Similarly, Kåñëa’s transcendental mercy is never denied to
anyone, whether one has rendered service unto Him through lust, anger, fear or pure
love. In the Caitanya-caritämåta it is stated that if one wants to serve Kåñëa and at
the same time wants to satisfy his own lusty desires, Kåñëa will handle it so that the
devotee forgets his lusty desire and becomes fully purified and constantly engaged in
the service of the Lord.
In order to fulfill His past promise, Kåñëa, along with Uddhava, went to the house of
Kubjä. When Kåñëa reached her house, He saw that it was completely decorated in a
way to excite the lusty desires of a man. This suggests that there were many nude
pictures, on top of which were canopies and flags embroidered with pearl necklaces,
along with comfortable beds and cushioned chairs. The rooms were provided with
flower garlands and were nicely scented with incense and sprinkled with scented
water. And the rooms were illuminated by nice lamps.
When Kubjä saw that Lord Kåñëa had come to her house in order to fulfill His
promised visit, she immediately got up from the chair to receive Him. Accompanied
by her many girl friends, she began to talk with Him with great respect and honor.
After offering Him a nice place to sit, she worshiped Lord Kåñëa in a manner just
suitable to her position. Uddhava was similarly received by Kubjä and her girl
friends, but he was not on an equal level with Kåñëa, and he simply sat down on the
floor.
Without wasting time, as one does in such situations, Kåñëa entered the bedroom of
Kubjä. In the meantime, Kubjä took her bath and smeared her body with sandalwood
pulp. She dressed herself with nice garments, valuable jewelry, ornaments and flower
garlands. Chewing betel nut and other intoxicating eatables and spraying herself
with scents, she appeared before Kåñëa. Her smiling glance and moving eyes were
full of feminine bashfulness as she stood gracefully before Lord Kåñëa, who is known
as Mädhava, the husband of the goddess of fortune. When Kåñëa saw that Kubjä was
hesitating to come before Him, He immediately caught hold of her hand, which was
decorated with bangles. With great affection, He dragged her beside Him and made
her sit by His side. Simply by having previously supplied pulp of sandalwood to the
Supreme Lord, Kåñëa, Kubjä became free from all sinful reactions and eligible to
enjoy with Him. She then took Kåñëa’s lotus feet and placed them on her breasts,
which were burning with the blazing fire of lust. By smelling the fragrance of Kåñëa’s
lotus feet, she immediately became relieved of all lusty desires. She was thus allowed
to embrace Kåñëa with her two arms and thus mitigate her long-cherished desire to
have Kåñëa as a visitor in her house.
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä that without being freed of all material sinful
reactions, one cannot be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Simply by supplying sandalwood pulp to Kåñëa, Kubjä was thus rewarded. She was
not trained to worship Kåñëa in any other way; therefore she wanted to satisfy Him
by her profession. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gétä that the Lord can be
worshiped even by one’s profession, if it is sincerely offered for the pleasure of the
Lord. Kubjä then told Kåñëa, “My dear friend, kindly remain with me at least for a
few days. Enjoy with me, You and Your lotus-eyed friend. I cannot leave You
immediately. Please grant my request.”
As stated in the Vedic versions, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has multipotencies.
According to expert opinion, Kubjä represents the puruña-çakti potency of
Kåñëa, just as Çrématé Rädhäräëé represents His cit-çakti potency. Although she
requested Kåñëa to remain with her for some days, Kåñëa politely impressed upon her
that it was not possible for Him to stay. Kåñëa visits this material world occasionally,
whereas His connection with the spiritual world is eternal. Kåñëa is always present
either in the Vaikuëöha planets or in the Goloka Våndävana planet. The technical
term for His presence in the spiritual world is prakaöa-lélä.
After satisfying Kubjä with sweet words, Kåñëa returned to His place along with
Uddhava. There is a warning in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam that Kåñëa is not very
easily worshiped because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the chief
among the Viñëu-tattvas. To worship Kåñëa or have association with Him is not a
very easy job. Specifically, there is a warning for devotees who are attracted to Kåñëa
through conjugal love; it is not good for them to desire to have sense gratification by
direct association with Kåñëa. Actually, the activities of sense gratification are
material. In the spiritual world there are symptoms like kissing and embracing, but
there is no sense-gratificatory process as it exists in the material world. This warning
is specifically for those known as sahajiyä, who take it for granted that Kåñëa is an
ordinary human being. They desire to enjoy sex life with Him in a perverted way. In
a spiritual relationship, sense gratification is most insignificant. Anyone who desires
a relationship of perverted sense gratification with Kåñëa must be considered to be
less intelligent. His mentality requires to be reformed.
After a while, Kåñëa fulfilled His promise to visit Akrüra at his house. Akrüra was in
relationship with Kåñëa as His servitor, and Kåñëa wanted to get some service from
him. He went there accompanied by both Lord Balaräma and Uddhava. When
Kåñëa, Balaräma and Uddhava were approaching the house of Akrüra, Akrüra came
forward, embraced Uddhava and offered respectful obeisances, bowing down before
Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma. Kåñëa, Balaräma and Uddhava offered him obeisances in
turn and were offered appropriate sitting places by Akrüra. When all were
comfortably seated, Akrüra washed their feet and sprinkled the water on his head.
Then he offered nice flowers and sandalwood pulp in regular worship. All three of
them became very satisfied by the behavior of Akrüra. Akrüra then bowed down
before Kåñëa, putting his head on the ground. Then, keeping Kåñëa’s lotus feet on his
lap, Akrüra began to gently massage them. When Akrüra was fully satisfied in the
presence of Kåñëa and Balaräma, his eyes became filled with tears of love for Kåñëa,
and he began to offer his prayers as follows.
“My dear Lord Kåñëa, it is very kind of You to have killed Kaàsa and his associates.
You have delivered the whole family of the Yadu dynasty from the greatest calamity.
Your saving of the great Yadu dynasty will always be remembered by them. My dear
Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma, You are the original personality from whom everything
has emanated. You are the original cause of all causes. You have inconceivable
energy, and You are all-pervasive. But for Yourself, there is no other cause and
effect, gross or subtle. You are the Supreme Brahman realized by the study of the
Vedas. By Your inconceivable energy, You are actually visible before us. You create
this cosmic manifestation by Your own potencies, and You enter into it Yourself. As
the five material elements, earth, water, fire, air, and sky, are distributed in
everything manifested by different kinds of bodies, so You alone enter into different
varieties of bodies, created by Your own energy. You enter the body as the individual
soul as well as independently as the Supersoul. The material body is created by Your
inferior energy. The living entities, individual souls, are part and parcel of You, and
the Supersoul is Your localized representation. This material body, the living entity
and the Supersoul constitute an individual living being, but originally they are all
different energies of the one Supreme Lord.
“In the material world, You are creating, maintaining and dissolving the whole
manifestation by interaction of three qualities, namely goodness, passion and
ignorance. You are not implicated by the activities of those material qualities
because Your supreme knowledge is never overcome, as is the case with the
individual living entity.”
As the Supreme Lord enters into this material creation and thus the creation,
maintenance and destruction are going on in their due course, so the part and parcel
living entity enters the material elements and has his material body created for him.
The difference between the living entity and the Lord is that the living entity is part
and parcel of the Supreme Lord and has the tendency to be overcome by the
interactions of material qualities. Kåñëa, the Parambrahman or the Supreme
Brahman, being always situated in full knowledge, is never overcome by such
activities. Therefore Kåñëa’s name is Acyuta, meaning He who never falls down.
Kåñëa’s knowledge of spiritual identity is never overcome by material action,
whereas the identity of the minute part and parcel living entities is prone to be
overcome by material action. The individual living entities are eternally part and
parcel of God. As minute sparks of the original fire, Kåñëa, they have the tendeny to
become extinguished.
Akrüra continued: “The less intelligent class of men misunderstand Your
transcendental form to be also made of material energy. That concept is not at all
applicable to You. Actually, You are all spiritual, and there is no difference between
You and Your body. Because of this, there is no question of Your being conditioned
or liberated. You are ever-liberated in any condition of life. As stated in the
Bhagavad-gétä, ‘Only the fools and rascals consider You to be an ordinary man.’ To
consider Your Lordship to be one of us, conditioned by the material nature, is a
mistake due to our imperfect knowledge. When people deviate from the original
knowledge of the Vedas, they try to identify the ordinary living entities with Your
Lordship. Your Lordship has appeared on this earth in Your original form in order to
reestablish the real knowledge that the living entities are neither one with nor equal
to the Supreme God. My dear Lord, You are always situated in uncontaminated
goodness (çuddha-sattva). Your appearance is necessary to reestablish actual Vedic
knowledge, as opposed to the atheistic philosophy which tries to establish that God
and the living entities are one and the same. My dear Lord Kåñëa, this time You
have appeared in the home of Vasudeva as His son, along with Your plenary
expansion, Çré Balaräma. Your mission is to kill all the atheistic royal families, along
with their huge military strength. You have advented Yourself to minimize the
overburden of the world, and in order to fulfill this mission, You have glorified the
dynasty of Yadu, appearing in the family as one of its members.
“My dear Lord, today my home has become purified by Your presence. I have become
the most fortunate person in the world. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who
is worshipable by all different kinds of demigods, Pitås, living entities, kings and
emperors, and who is the Supersoul of everything, has come into my home. The
water of His lotus feet is purifying the three worlds, and now He has kindly come to
my place. Who is there in the three worlds among factually learned men who will
not take shelter of Your lotus feet and surrender unto You? Who, knowing well that
no one can be as affectionate as You are to Your devotees, is so foolish that he will
decline to become Your devotee? Throughout the Vedic literature it is declared that
You are the dearmost friend of every living entity. This is confirmed in the
Bhagavad-gétä: suhådäm sarva-bhütänäm. You are the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, completely capable of fulfilling the desires of Your devotees. You are the
real friend of everyone. In spite of giving Yourself to Your devotees, You are never
depleted of Your original potency. Your potency neither decreases nor increases in
volume.
“My dear Lord, it is very difficult for even the great mystic yogés and demigods to
ascertain Your movement. You cannot be approached by them, and yet out of Your
causeless mercy You have kindly consented to come to my home. This is the most
auspicious moment in the journey of my material existence. By Your grace only, I
can just understand that my home, my wife, my children and my worldly possessions
are all different bonds to material existence. Please cut the knot and save me from
this entanglement of false society, friendship and love.”
Lord Çré Kåñëa was very pleased by Akrüra’s offering of prayers. His smile was
captivating Akrüra more and more. The Lord replied to him as follows: “My dear
Akrüra, in spite of your submissiveness, I consider you to be My superior, on the
level with My father and teacher and most well-wishing friend. You are, therefore,
worshipable by Me, and since you are My uncle, I am always to be protected by you. I
desire to be maintained by you because I am one of your own children. Apart from
this filial relationship, you are always to be worshiped. Anyone who desires good
fortune must offer his respectful obeisances unto personalities like you. You are more
than the demigods. People go to worship the demigods when they are in need of
some sense gratification; the demigods offer benediction to their devotees after being
worshiped by them. But a devotee like Akrüra is always ready to offer the greatest
benediction to the people. A saintly person or devotee is free to offer benediction to
everyone, whereas the demigods can offer benediction only after being worshiped.
One can take advantage of the place of pilgrimage only after going there. By
worshiping the particular demigod, it takes a long time for fulfillment of the desire;
but saintly persons like you, My dear Akrüra, can immediately fulfill all the desires of
the devotees. My dear Akrüra, you are always Our friend and well-wisher. You are
always ready to act for Our welfare. Kindly, therefore, go to Hastinäpura and see
what arrangement has been made for the Päëòavas.”
Kåñëa was very anxious to know about the sons of Päëòu, because at a very young
age, they had lost their father. Being very friendly to His devotees, Kåñëa was
anxious to know about them, and therefore He deputed Akrüra to go to Hastinäpura
and get information of the real situation. Kåñëa continued to say, “I have heard that
after the death of King Päëòu his young sons, Yudhiñöhira, Bhéma, Arjuna, Nakula
and Sahadeva, along with their widowed mother, have come under the charge of
Dhåtaräñöra, who is to look after them as their guardian. But I have also heard that
Dhåtaräñöra is not only blind from birth, but also blind in his affection for his cruel
son, Duryodhana. The five Päëòavas are the sons of King Päëòu, but Dhåtaräñöra,
due to his plans and designs, is not favorably disposed towards the Päëòavas. Kindly
go there and study how Dhåtaräñöra is dealing with the Päëòavas. On receipt of your
report, I shall consider how to favor the Päëòavas.” In this way the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, ordered Akrüra to go to Hastinäpura, and then He
returned home, accompanied by Balaräma and Uddhava.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-seventh Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kåñëa
Pleases His Devotees.”
48 / Ill-motivated Dhåtaräñöra
Thus being ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Çré Kåñëa, Akrüra
visited Hastinäpura. Hastinäpura is said to be the site of what is now New Delhi. The
part of New Delhi, which is still known as Indraprastha, is accepted by people in
general as the old capital of the Päëòavas. The very name Hastinäpura suggests that
there were many hastés, or elephants. Because the Päëòavas kept many elephants in
the capital, it was called Hastinäpura. Keeping elephants is a very expensive job; to
keep many elephants, therefore, the kingdom must be very rich, and Hastinäpura
was full of elephants, horses, chariots and other opulences. When Akrüra reached
Hastinäpura, he saw that the capital was full of all kinds of opulences. The kings of
Hastinäpura were taken to be the ruling kings of the whole world. Their fame was
widely spread throughout the entire kingdom, and their administration was
conducted under the good counsel of learned brähmaëas.
After seeing the very opulent capital city, Akrüra met King Dhåtaräñöra. He also saw
grandfather Bhéñma sitting with him. After meeting them, he went to see Vidura and
then Vidura’s sister, Kunté. One after another, he saw the son of Somadatta, and the
King of Bähléka, Droëäcärya, Kåpäcärya, Karëa and Suyodhana. (Suyodhana is
another name of Duryodhana.) He saw the five Päëòava brothers and other friends
and relatives living in the city. Akrüra was known as the son of Gändé, so whomever
he met was very pleased to receive him. He was offered a good seat at his receptions,
and he inquired all about the his relatives’ welfare and other activities.
Since he was deputed by Lord Kåñëa to visit Hastinäpura, it is understood that he
was very intelligent in studying a diplomatic situation. Dhåtaräñöra was unlawfully
occupying the throne after the death of the King Päëòu, despite the presence of
Päëòu’s sons. Akrüra wanted to study the whole situation by remaining there. He
could understand very well that ill-motivated Dhåtaräñöra was much inclined in
favor of his own sons. In fact, Dhåtaräñöra had already usurped the kingdom and was
now instigating and planning to dispose of the five Päëòava brothers. Akrüra knew
also that all the sons of Dhåtaräñöra, headed by Duryodhana, were very crooked
politicians. Dhåtaräñöra did not act in accordance with the good instruction given by
Bhéñma and Vidura, but he was being conducted by the ill instruction of such
persons as Karëa, Çakuni and others. Akrüra decided to stay in Hastinäpura for a
few months to study the whole political situation.
Gradually Akrüra learned from Kunté and Vidura that Dhåtaräñöra was very
intolerant and envious of the five Päëòava brothers because of their extraordinary
learning in military science and their greatly developed bodily strength. They acted
as true chivalrous heroes, exhibited all the good qualities of kñatriyas, and were very
responsible princes, always thinking of the welfare of the citizens. Akrüra also
learned that the envious Dhåtaräñöra, in consultation with his ill-advised son, had
tried to kill the Päëòavas by poisoning them.
Akrüra happened to be one of the cousins of Kunté; therefore, after meeting him, she
began to inquire about her paternal relatives. Thinking of her birthplace, she began
to cry. She asked Akrüra whether her father, mother, brothers, sisters and other
friends at home were still remembering her. She especially inquired about Kåñëa and
Balaräma, her glorious nephews. She asked, “Does Kåñëa, who is the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who is very affectionate to His devotees, remember my
sons? Does Balaräma remember us?” Inside herself, Kunté felt like a she-deer in the
midst of tigers, and actually her position was like that. After the death of her
husband, King Päëòu, she was supposed to take care of the five Päëòava children,
but Dhåtaräñöra was always planning to kill them. She was certainly living as a poor
innocent animal in the midst of several tigers. Being a devotee of Lord Kåñëa, she
was always thinking of Him and expected that one day Kåñëa would come and save
them from their dangerous position. She inquired from Akrüra whether Kåñëa
proposed to come to advise the fatherless Päëòavas how to get free of the intriguing
policy of Dhåtaräñöra and his sons. By talking with Akrüra about all these affairs, she
felt herself helpless and began to exclaim: “My dear Kåñëa, my dear Kåñëa, You are
the supreme mystic, the Supersoul of the universe. You are the real well-wisher of
the whole universe. My dear Govinda, at this time You are far away from me, yet I
pray to surrender unto Your lotus feet. At the present moment I am very much
griefstricken with my five fatherless sons. I can fully understand that but for Your
lotus feet there is no shelter or protection. Your lotus feet can deliver all aggrieved
souls because You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can be safe from
the clutches of repeated birth and death by Your mercy only. My dear Kåñëa, You
are the supreme pure one, the Supersoul and the master of all yogés. What can I say?
I can simply offer my respectful obeisances unto You. Accept me as Your fully
surrendered devotee.”
Although Kåñëa was not present before her, Kunté offered her prayers to Him as if
she were in His presence face to face. This is possible for anyone following in the
footsteps of Kunté. Kåñëa does not have to be physically present everywhere. He is
actually present everywhere by spiritual potency, and one simply has to surrender
unto Him sincerely. When Kunté was offering her prayers very feelingly to Kåñëa,
she could not check herself and began to cry loudly before Akrüra. Vidura was also
present, and both Akrüra and Vidura became very sympathetic to the mother of the
Päëòavas. They began to solace her by glorifying her sons, Yudhiñöhira, Arjuna and
Bhéma. They pacified her, saying that her sons were extraordinarily powerful; she
should not be perturbed about them, since they were born of great demigods,
Yamaräja, Indra and Väyu.
Akrüra decided to return and report on the extreme circumstances in which he
found Kunté and her five sons. He first wanted to give good advice to Dhåtaräñöra,
who was so favorably inclined toward his own son and unfavorably inclined toward
the Päëòavas. When Kunté and Dhåtaräñöra were sitting among friends and relatives,
Akrüra began to address him, calling him “Värcitravérya.” Värcitravérya means the
son of Vicitravérya. Vicitravérya was the name of the father of Dhåtaräñöra, but
Dhåtaräñöra was not actually the begotten son of Vicitravérya. He was the begotten
son of Vyäsadeva. Formerly it was the system that if a man were unable to beget a
child, his brother could beget a child in the womb of his wife. That system is now
forbidden in this age of Kali. Akrüra called Dhåtaräñöra “Värcitravérya” sarcastically
because he was not actually begotten by his father. He was the son of Vyäsadeva.
When a child was begotten in the wife by the husband’s brother, the child was
claimed by the husband, but of course the child was not begotten by the husband.
This sarcastic remark pointed out that Dhåtaräñöra was falsely claiming the throne
on hereditary grounds. Actually the son of Päëòu was the rightful king, and in the
presence of Päëòu’s sons, the Päëòavas, Dhåtaräñöra should not have occupied the
throne.
Akrüra then said, “My dear son of Vicitravérya, you have unlawfully usurped the
throne of the Päëòavas. Anyway, somehow or other you are now on the throne.
Therefore I beg to advise you to please rule the kingdom on moral and ethical
principles. If you do so and try to teach your subjects in that way, then your name
and fame will be perpetual.” Akrüra hinted that although Dhåtaräñöra was ill-treating
his nephews, the Päëòavas, they happened to be his subjects. “Even if you treat them
not as the owners of the throne, but as your subjects, you should impartially think of
their welfare as though they were your own sons. But if you do not follow this
principle and act in just the opposite way, then you will be unpopular among your
subjects, and in the next life you will have to live in a hellish condition. I therefore
hope you will treat your sons and the sons of Päëòu equally.” Akrüra hinted that if
Dhåtaräñöra did not treat the Päëòavas and his sons as equals, then surely there
would be a fight between the two camps of cousins. Since the Päëòavas cause was
just, they would come out victorious, and the sons of Dhåtaräñöra would be killed.
This was a prophecy told by Akrüra to Dhåtaräñöra.
Akrüra further advised Dhåtaräñöra, “In this material world, no one can remain as an
eternal companion to another. By chance only we assemble together in the family, in
the society, in the community or in the nation, but at the end, because every one of
us has to give up the body, we must be separated. One should not, therefore, be
unnecessarily affectionate toward family members.” Dhåtaräñöra’s affection was also
unlawful and did not show much intelligence. In plain words, Akrüra hinted to
Dhåtaräñöra that his staunch family affection was due to his gross ignorance of fact.
Although we appear to be combined together in family, society or nation, each one
of us has an individual destiny. Everyone takes birth according to individual past
work; therefore everyone has to individually enjoy or suffer the result of his own
karma. There is no possibility of improving one’s destiny by cooperate living.
Sometimes it happens that one’s father accumulates wealth by illegal ways, and the
son takes away the money, although it is hard-earned by the father. It is just like a
small fish in the ocean who eats the material body of the large, old fish. One
ultimately cannot accumulate wealth illegally for the gratification of his family,
society, community or nation. That many great empires which developed in the past
are no longer existing because their wealth was squandered away by later
descendants is an illustration of this principle. One who does not know this subtle
law of fruitive activities and thus gives up the principles of moral and ethical
principles only carries with him the reactions of his sinful activities. His ill-gotten
wealth and possessions are taken by someone else, and he goes to the darkest region
of hellish life. One should not, therefore, accumulate more wealth than is allotted to
him by destiny; otherwise he will be factually blind to his own interest. Instead of
fulfilling his self-interest, he will act in just the opposite way for his own downfall.
Akrüra continued: “My dear Dhåtaräñöra, I beg to advise you not to be blind about
the fact of this material existence. Material conditional life, either in distress or in
happiness, is to be accepted as a dream. One should try to bring his mind and senses
under control and live very peacefully for spiritual advancement in Kåñëa
consciousness.” In the Caitanya-caritämåta it is said that except for persons who are
in Kåñëa consciousness, everyone is always in a disturbed condition of mind and is
full of anxiety. Even those who are trying for liberation, or merging into the
Brahman effulgence, or the yogés who are trying to achieve perfection in mystic
power, cannot have peace of mind. Pure devotees of Kåñëa have no demands to make
of Kåñëa. They are simply satisfied with service to Him. Actual peace and mental
tranquillity can be attained only in perfect Kåñëa consciousness.
After hearing moral instructions from Akrüra, Dhåtaräñöra replied, “My dear
Akrüra, you are very charitable in giving me good instructions, but unfortunately I
cannot accept it. A person who is destined to die does not utilize the effect of nectar,
although it may be administered to him. I can understand that your instructions are
very valuable. Unfortunately, they do not stay in my flickering mind, just as the
glittering lightning in the sky does not stay fixed in a cloud. I can understand only
that no one can stop the onward progress of the supreme will. I understand that the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, has appeared in the family of the Yadus in
order to decrease the overburdened load of this earth.”
Dhåtaräñöra gave hints to Akrüra that he had complete faith in Kåñëa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. At the same time, he was very much partial to his family
members. In the very near future, Kåñëa would vanquish all the members of his
family, and in a helpless condition, Dhåtaräñöra would take shelter of Kåñëa’s feet. In
order to show His special favor to a devotee, Kåñëa usually takes away all the objects
of his material affection. He thus forces the devotee to be materially helpless, with
no alternative than to accept the lotus feet of Kåñëa. This actually happened to
Dhåtaräñöra after the end of the Battle of Kurukñetra.
Dhåtaräñöra could realize two opposing factors acting before him. He could
understand that Kåñëa was there to remove all the unnecessary burdens of the world.
His sons were an unnecessary burden, and so he expected that they would be killed.
At the same time, he could not rid himself of his unlawful affection for his sons.
Understanding these two contradictory factors, he began to offer his respectful
obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. “The contradictory ways of
material existence are very difficult to understand; they can only be taken as the
inconceivable execution of the plan of the Supreme, who by His inconceivable
energy creates this material world and enters into it and sets into action the three
modes of nature. When everything is created, He enters into each and every living
entity and into the smallest atom. No one can understand the incalculable plans of
the Supreme Lord.”
After hearing this statement, Akrüra could clearly understand that Dhåtaräñöra was
not going to change his policy of discriminating against the Päëòavas in favor of his
sons. He at once took leave of his friends in Hastinäpura and returned to his home
in the kingdom of the Yadus. After returning home, he vividly informed Lord Kåñëa
and Balaräma of the actual situation in Hastinäpura and the intentions of
Dhåtaräñöra. Akrüra was sent to Hastinäpura by Kåñëa to study. By the grace of the
Lord, he was successful and informed Kåñëa about the actual situation.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-eighth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Illmotivated
Dhåtaräñöra.”
49 / Kåñëa Erects the Dvärakä Fort
After his death, Kaàsa’s two wives became widows. According to Vedic civilization,
a woman is never independent. She has three stages of life: In childhood a woman
should live under the protection of her father, a youthful woman should live under
the protection of her young husband, and in the event of the death of her husband
she should live either under the protection of her grown-up children, or if she has no
grown-up children, she must go back to her father and live as a widow under his
protection. It appears that Kaàsa had no grown-up sons. After becoming widows, his
wives returned to the shelter of their father. Kaàsa had two queens. One was Asti,
and the other Präpti, and both happened to be the daughters of King Jaräsandha, the
lord of the Bihar province (known in those days as Magadharaja). After reaching
home, both queens explained their awkward position following Kaàsa’s death. The
King of Magadha, Jaräsandha, was mortified on hearing their pitiable condition due
to the slaughter. When informed of the death of Kaàsa, Jaräsandha decided on the
spot that he would rid the world of all the members of the Yadu dynasty. He decided
that since Kåñëa had killed Kaàsa, the whole dynasty of the Yadus should be killed.
He began to make extensive arrangements to attack the kingdom of Mathurä with
his innumerable military phalanxes, consisting of many thousands of chariots,
horses, elephants and infantry soldiers. Jaräsandha prepared thirteen such military
phalanxes in order to retaliate the death of Kaàsa. Taking with him all his military
strength, he attacked the capital of the Yadu kings, Mathurä, surrounding it from all
directions. Çré Kåñëa, who appeared as an ordinary human being, saw the immense
strength of Jaräsandha, which appeared as an ocean about to cover a beach at any
moment. He also perceived that the inhabitants of Mathurä were overwhelmed with
fear. He began to think within Himself about the situation of His mission as an
incarnation and how to tackle the present situation before Him. His mission was to
diminish the overburdened population of the whole world; therefore He took the
opportunity of facing so many men, chariots, elephants, and horses. The military
strength of Jaräsandha had appeared before Him, and He decided to kill the entire
force of Jaräsandha so that they would not be able to go back and again reorganize
their military strength.
While Lord Kåñëa was thinking in that way, two military chariots, fully equipped
with drivers, weapons, flags and other implements, arrived for Him from outer space.
Kåñëa saw the two chariots present before Him, and immediately addressed His
attendant brother, Balaräma, who is also known as Saìkarñaëa: “My dear elder
brother, You are the best among the Äryans, You are the Lord of the universe, and
specifically, You are the protector of the Yadu dynasty. The members of the Yadu
dynasty sense great danger before the soldiers of Jaräsandha, and they are very much
aggrieved. Just to give them protection, Your chariot is also here, filled with military
weapons. I request You to sit down on Your chariot and kill all these soldiers, the
entire military strength of the enemy. Naturally, both of Us have descended on this
earth just to annihilate such unnecessary bellicose forces and to give protection to
the pious devotees. So we have the opportunity to fulfill Our mission. Please let Us
execute it.” Thus Kåñëa and Balaräma, the descendants of the Gadaha King,
Daçärha, decided to annihilate the thirteen military companies of Jaräsandha.
Kåñëa went upon the chariot on which Däruka was the driver and with a small army,
and to the blowing of conchshells, He came out of the city of Mathurä. Curiously
enough, although the other party was equipped with greater military strength, just
after hearing the vibration of Kåñëa’s conchshell, their hearts were shakened. When
Jaräsandha saw both Balaräma and Kåñëa, he was a little bit compassionate, because
both Kåñëa and Balaräma happened to be related to him as grandsons. He
specifically addressed Kåñëa as Puruñädhama, meaning the lowest among men.
Actually Kåñëa is known in all Vedic literatures as Puruñottama, the highest among
men. Jaräsandha had no intention of addressing Kåñëa as Puruñottama, but great
scholars have determined the true meaning of the word puruñädhama to be “one who
makes all other personalities go downward.” Actually no one can be equal to or
greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Jaräsandha said, “It will be a great dishonor for me to fight with boys like Kåñëa and
Balaräma.” Because Kåñëa had killed Kaàsa, Jaräsandha specifically addressed Him
as the killer of His own relatives. Kaàsa had killed so many of his own nephews, yet
Jaräsandha did not take notice of it; but because Kåñëa had killed His maternal
uncle, Kaàsa, Jaräsandha tried to criticize Him. That is the way of demoniac dealing.
Demons do not try to find their own faults but try to find the faults of their friends.
Jaräsandha also criticized Kåñëa for not even being a kñatriya. Because He was raised
by Mahäräja Nanda, Kåñëa was not a kñatriya, but a vaiçya. Vaiçyas are generally
called guptas, and the word gupta can also be used to mean “hidden.” So Kåñëa was
both hidden and raised by Nanda Mahäräja. Jaräsandha accused Kåñëa of three
faults: that He killed His own maternal uncle, that He was hidden in His childhood,
and that He was not even a kñatriya. And therefore Jaräsandha felt ashamed to fight
with Him.
Next he turned toward Balaräma and addressed Him: “You, Balaräma! If You like
You can fight along with Him, and if You have patience, then You can wait to be
killed by my arrows. Thus You can be promoted to heaven.” It is stated in the
Bhagavad-gétä that a kñatriya can become benefited in two ways while fighting. If a
kñatriya gains victory in the fight, he enjoys the results of victory, but even if he is
killed in the fight, he is promoted to the heavenly kingdom.
After hearing Jaräsandha speak in that way, Kåñëa answered: “My dear King
Jaräsandha, those who are heroes do not talk much. Rather, they show their prowess.
Because you are talking much, it appears that you are assured of your death in this
battle. We do not care to hear you anymore, because it is useless to hear the words of
a person who is going to die or one who is very distressed.” In order to fight with
Kåñëa, Jaräsandha surrounded Him from all sides with great military strength, and
the sun appeared covered by the cloudy air and dust. Similarly, Kåñëa, the supreme
sun, was covered by the military strength of Jaräsandha. Kåñëa’s and Balaräma’s
chariots were marked with pictures of Garuòa and palm trees. The women of
Mathurä were all standing on the tops of the houses and palaces and gates to see the
wonderful fight, but when Kåñëa’s chariot was surrounded by Jaräsandha’s military
force, they became so frightened that some of them fainted. Kåñëa saw Himself
overwhelmed by the military strength of Jaräsandha. His small number of soldiers
were being harassed by them, so He immediately took up His bow, named Çärìga.
He began to take His arrows from their case, and one after another He set them on
the bowstring and shot them toward the enemy. They were so accurate that the
elephants, horses and infantry soldiers of Jaräsandha were quickly killed. The
incessant arrows thrown by Kåñëa appeared as a whirlwind of blazing fire killing all
the military strength of Jaräsandha. As Kåñëa released His arrows, gradually all the
elephants began to fall down, their heads severed by the arrows. Similarly, all the
horses fell, and the chariots also, along with their flags. The chariot fighters and the
chariot drivers fell as well. Almost all the infantry soldiers fell on the field of battle,
their heads, hands and legs cut off. In this way, many thousands of elephants and
horses were killed, and their blood began to flow just like the waves of a river. In that
river, the severed arms of the men appeared to be snakes, their heads appeared to be
tortoises, and the dead bodies of the elephants appeared to be small islands. The dead
horses appeared to be sharks. By the arrangement of the supreme will, there was a
great river of blood filled with paraphernalia. The hands and legs of the infantry
soldiers were floating like seaweed, and the floating bows of the soldiers appeared to
be waves of the river. And all the jewelry from the bodies of the soldiers and
commanders appeared to be so many pebbles flowing down the river of blood.
Lord Balaräma, who is also known as Saìkarñaëa, began to fight with His club in
such a heroic way that the river of blood created by Kåñëa overflooded. Those who
were cowards became very much afraid upon seeing the ghastly and horrible scene,
and those who were heroes began to talk delightedly among themselves about the
heroism of the two brothers. Although Jaräsandha was equipped with a vast ocean of
military strength, the fighting of Lord Kåñëa and Balaräma converted the whole
situation into a ghastly scene which was far beyond ordinary fighting. Persons of
ordinary mind cannot estimate how it could be possible, but when such activities are
accepted as pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, under whose will
everything is possible, then this can be understood. The Supreme Personality of
Godhead is creating, maintaining and dissolving the cosmic manifestation by His
will only. For Him to create such a vast scene of devastation while fighting with an
enemy is not so wonderful. And yet, because Kåñëa and Balaräma were fighting with
Jaräsandha just like ordinary human beings, the affair appeared to be wonderful.
All the soldiers of Jaräsandha were killed, and he was the only one left alive.
Certainly he became very depressed at this point. Çré Balaräma immediately arrested
him, just as, with great strength, one lion captures another lion. But while Lord
Balaräma was binding Jaräsandha with the rope of Varuëa and ordinary ropes also,
Lord Kåñëa, with a greater plan in mind for the future, asked Him not to arrest him.
Jaräsandha was then released by Kåñëa. As a great fighting hero, Jaräsandha became
very much ashamed, and he decided that he would no longer live as a king, but
would resign from his position in the royal order and go to the forest to practice
meditation under severe austerities and penances.
As he was returning home with other royal friends, however, they advised him not
to retire, but to regain strength to fight again with Kåñëa in the near future. The
princely friends of Jaräsandha began to instruct him that ordinarily it would not
have been possible for him to have been defeated by the strength of the Yadu kings,
but the defeat which he had experienced was simply due to his ill luck. The princely
order encouraged King Jaräsandha. His fighting, they said, was certainly heroic;
therefore, he should not take his defeat very seriously, as it was due only to his past
mistakes. After all, there was no fault in his fighting.
In this way, Jaräsandha, the King of Magadha province, having lost all his strength
and having been insulted by his arrest and subsequent release, could do nothing but
return to his kingdom. Thus Lord Kåñëa conquered the soldiers of Jaräsandha.
Although Kåñëa’s army was tiny in comparison to Jaräsandha’s, not a pinch of His
strength was lost, whereas all of Jaräsandha’s men were killed.
At that time the denizens of heaven became very pleased and began to offer their
respects by chanting in glorification of the Lord and by showering Him with flowers.
They accepted the victory with great appreciation. Jaräsandha returned to his
kingdom, and Mathurä city was made safe from the danger of an imminent attack.
The citizens of Mathurä organized the combined services of a circus of professional
singers, like sütas, mägadhas, and poets who could compose nice songs, and they
began to chant the victory glorification of Lord Kåñëa. When Lord Kåñëa entered
the city after the victory, many bugles, conches and kettledrums were sounded, and
the vibrations of various musical instruments, like bherya, türya, véëä, flute and
mådaìga—all joined together to make a beautiful reception. While Kåñëa was
entering, the whole city was very much cleansed, all the different streets and roads
were sprinkled with water, and the inhabitants, being joyous, decorated their
respective houses, roads and shops with flags and festoons. The brähmaëas chanted
Vedic mantras at numerous places. The people constructed road crossings, entrances,
lanes and streets. When Lord Kåñëa was entering the nicely decorated city of
Mathurä in a festive attitude, the ladies and girls of Mathurä prepared different
kinds of flower garlands to make the ceremony more auspicious. In accordance with
the Vedic custom, they took yogurt mixed with freshly grown green grass and began
to strew it here and there to make the victory jubilation even more auspicious. As
Kåñëa passed through the street, all the ladies and women began to regard Him with
great affection. Kåñëa and Balaräma carried various kinds of booty, ornaments and
jewels carefully collected from the battlefield and presented them to King Ugrasena.
Kåñëa thus offered His respect to His grandfather because he was at that time the
crowned king of the Yadu dynasty.
Jaräsandha, the King of Magadha, not only besieged the city of Mathurä once, but he
attacked it seventeen times in the same way, equipped with the same number of
military phalanxes. Each and every time, he was defeated, and all his soldiers were
killed by Kåñëa, and each time he had to return disappointed in the same way. Each
time, the princely order of the Yadu dynasty arrested Jaräsandha in the same way
and again released him in an insulting manner, and each time Jaräsandha
shamelessly returned home.
While Jaräsandha was attempting one such attack, a Yavana king somewhere to the
south of Mathurä became attracted by the opulence of the Yadu dynasty and also
attacked the city. It is said that the King of the Yavanas, known as Kälayavana, was
induced to attack by Närada. This story is narrated in the Viñëu Puräëa. Once,
Gargamuni, the priest of the Yadu dynasty, was taunted by his brother-in-law. When
the kings of the Yadu dynasty heard the taunt they laughed at him, and Gargamuni
became angry at the Yadu kings. He decided that he would produce someone who
would be very fearful to the Yadu dynasty, so he pleased Lord Çiva and received from
him the benediction of a son. He begot this son, Kälayavana, in the wife of a Yavana
king. This Kälayavana inquired from Närada, “Who are the most powerful kings in
the world?” Närada informed him that the Yadus were the most powerful. Being thus
informed by Närada, Kälayavana attacked the city of Mathurä at the same time that
Jaräsandha attempted to attack it for the eighteenth time. Kälayavana was very
anxious to declare war on a king of the world who would be a suitable combatant for
him, but he had not found any. However, being informed about Mathurä by Närada,
he thought it wise to attack this city. When he attacked Mathurä he brought with
him thirty million Yavana soldiers. When Mathurä was thus besieged, Lord Çré Kåñëa
began to consider how much the Yadu dynasty was in distress, being threatened by
the attacks of two formidable enemies, Jaräsandha and Kälayavana. Time was
growing very short. Kälayavana was already besieging Mathurä from all sides, and it
was expected that the next day Jaräsandha would also come, equipped with the same
number of divisions of soldiers as in his previous seventeen attempts. Kåñëa was
certain that Jaräsandha would take advantage of the opportunity to capture Mathurä
when it was also being besieged by Kälayavana. He therefore thought it wise to take
precautionary measures to defend the strategic points of Mathurä. If both Kåñëa and
Balaräma were engaged in fighting with Kälayavana at one place, Jaräsandha might
come at another place to attack the whole Yadu family and take his revenge.
Jaräsandha was very powerful, and having been defeated seventeen times, he might
vengefully kill the members of the Yadu family or arrest them and take them to his
kingdom. Kåñëa therefore decided to construct a formidable fort in a place where no
two-legged animal, either man or demon, could enter. He decided to keep His
relatives there so that He would then be free to fight with the enemy. It appears that
formerly Dvärakä was also part of the kingdom of Mathurä, because in the Çrémad-
Bhägavatam it is stated that Kåñëa constructed a fort in the midst of the sea.
Remnants of the fort which Kåñëa constructed are still existing on the Bay of
Dvärakä.
He first of all constructed a very strong wall covering ninety-six square miles, and
the wall itself was within the sea. It was certainly wonderful and was planned and
constructed by Viçvakarmä. No ordinary architect could construct such a fort within
the sea, but an architect like Viçvakarmä, who is considered to be the engineer
among the demigods, can execute such wonderful craftsmanship anywhere in any
part of the universe. If huge planets can be floated in weightlessness in the outer
space by the arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, surely the
architectural construction of a fort within the sea covering a space of ninety-six
square miles was not a very wonderful act.
It is stated in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam that this new, well-constructed city, developed
within the sea, had regular planned roads, streets and lanes. Not only were there
well-planned roads, streets and lanes, but there were well-planned paths and gardens
filled with plants known as kalpavåkñas, or desire trees. These desire trees are not
like the ordinary trees of the material world; the desire trees are found in the
spiritual world. By Kåñëa’s supreme will, everything is possible, so such desire trees
were planted in the city of Dvärakä constructed by Kåñëa. The city was also filled
with many palaces and gopuras, or big gates. These gopuras are still found in some of
the larger temples. They are very high and constructed with extreme artistic skill.
Such palaces and gates held golden waterpots (kalaça). These waterpots on the gates
or in the palaces are considered to be auspicious signs.
Almost all the palaces were skyscrapers. In each and every house there were big pots
of gold and silver and grains stocked in underground rooms. And there were many
golden waterpots within the rooms. The bedrooms were all bedecked with jewels,
and the floors were mosaic pavements of marakata jewels. The Viñëu Deity,
worshiped by the descendants of Yadu, was installed in each house in the city. The
residential quarters were so arranged that the different castes, brähmaëas, kñatriyas,
vaiçyas and çüdras, had their respective quarters. It appears from this that the caste
system was existing even at that time. In the center of the city there was another
residential quarter made specifically for King Ugrasena. This place was the most
dazzling of all the houses.
When the demigods saw that Kåñëa was constructing a particular city of His own
choice, they sent the celebrated pärijäta flower of the heavenly planet to be planted
in the new city, and they also sent a parliamentary house, Sudharmä. The specific
quality of this assembly house was that anyone participating in a meeting within it
would overcome the influence of invalidity due to old age. The demigod Varuëa also
presented a horse, which was all white except for black ears and which could run at
the speed of the mind. Kuvera, the treasurer of the demigods, presented the art of
attaining the eight perfectional stages of material opulences. In this way, all the
demigods began to present their respective gifts according to their different
capacities. There are thirty-three million demigods, and each of them is entrusted
with a particular department of universal management. All the demigods took the
opportunity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s constructing a city of His own
choice to present their respective gifts, making the city of Mathurä unique within
the universe. This proves that there are undoubtedly innumerable demigods, but
none of them are independent of Kåñëa. As stated in the Caitanya-caritämåta, Kåñëa
is the supreme master, and all others are servants. So all the servants took the
opportunity of rendering service to Kåñëa when He was personally present within
this universe. This example should be followed by all, especially those who are Kåñëa
conscious, for they should serve Kåñëa by their respective abilities.
When the new city was fully constructed according to plan, Kåñëa transferred all the
inhabitants of Mathurä and entrusted Çré Balaräma as the city father. After this He
consulted with Balaräma, and being garlanded with lotus flowers, He came out of the
city to meet Kälayavana, who had already seized Mathurä without taking up any
weapons.
When Kåñëa came out of the city, Kälayavana, who had never seen Kåñëa before,
saw Him to be extraordinarily beautiful, dressed in yellow garments. Passing through
his assembly of soldiers, Kåñëa appeared like the moon in the sky passing through the
assembled clouds. Kälayavana was fortunate enough to see the lines of Çrévatsa, a
particular impression on the chest of Çré Kåñëa, and the Kaustubha jewel which He
was wearing. Kälayavana saw Him, however, in His Viñëu form, with a well-built
body, with four hands, and eyes like newly blooming lotus petals. Kåñëa appeared
blissful, with a handsome forehead and beautiful face, with smiling restless eyes and
moving earrings. Before seeing Kåñëa, Kälayavana had heard about Him from
Närada, and now the descriptions of Närada were confirmed. He noticed Kåñëa’s
specific marks and the jewels on His chest, His beautiful garland of lotus flowers, His
lotus-like eyes and similar beautiful bodily features. He concluded that this beautiful
personality must be Väsudeva, because every description of Närada’s which he had
heard previously was substantiated by the presence of Kåñëa. Kälayavana was very
much astonished to see that He was passing through without any weapon in His
hands and without any chariot. He was simply walking on foot. Kälayavana had
come to fight with Kåñëa, and yet he had sufficient principles not to take up any
kind of weapon. He decided to fight with Him hand to hand. Thus he prepared to
capture Kåñëa and fight.
Kåñëa, however, went ahead without looking at Kälayavana, and Kälayavana began
to follow Him with a desire to capture Him. But in spite of all his swift running, he
could not capture Kåñëa. Kåñëa cannot be captured even by the mental speed
attained by great yogés. He can be captured only by devotional service, and
Kälayavana was not practiced in devotional service. He wanted to capture Kåñëa,
and as he could not do so he was following Him from behind.
Kälayavana began running very fast, and he was thinking, “Now I am nearer; I will
capture Him,” but he could not. Kåñëa led him far away, and He entered the cave of
a hill. Kälayavana thought that Kåñëa was trying to avoid fighting with him and was
therefore taking shelter of the cave. He began to chastise Him with the following
words: “Oh You, Kåñëa! I heard that You are a great hero born in the dynasty of
Yadu, but I see that You are verily running away from fighting, like a coward. It is
not worthy of Your good name and family tradition.” Kälayavana was following,
running very fast, but still he could not catch Kåñëa because he was not freed from
all contaminations of sinful life.
According to the Vedic culture, anyone who does not live following the regulative
principles of life observed by the higher castes like the brähmaëas, kñatriyas, vaiçyas
and even the laborer class is called mleccha. The Vedic social situation is so planned
that persons who are accepted as çüdras can gradually be elevated to the position of
brähmaëas by the cultural advancement known as saàskära, or the purificatory
process. The version of the Vedic scriptures is that no one becomes a brähmaëa or a
mleccha simply by birth; by birth everyone is accepted as çüdra. One has to elevate
himself by the purificatory process to the stage of brahminical life. If he doesn’t, if he
degrades himself further, then he is called mleccha. Kälayavana belonged to the class
of mleccha and yavanas. He was contaminated by sinful activities and could not
approach Kåñëa. The principles from which higher class men are restricted, namely
illicit sex indulgence, meat eating, gambling and intoxication, are part and parcel of
the lives of the mlecchas and yavanas. Being bound by such sinful activities one
cannot make any advancement in God realization. The Bhagavad-gétä confirms that
only one who is completely freed from all sinful reactions can be engaged in
devotional service or Kåñëa consciousness.
When Kåñëa entered the cave of the hill, Kälayavana followed, chastising Him with
various harsh words. Kåñëa suddenly disappeared from the demon’s sight, but
Kälayavana followed and also entered the cave. The first thing he saw was a man
lying down asleep within the cave. Kälayavana was very anxious to fight with Kåñëa,
and when he could not see Kåñëa, but saw instead only a man lying down, he
thought that Kåñëa was sleeping within this cave. Kälayavana was very puffed up
and proud of his strength, and he thought Kåñëa was avoiding the fight. Therefore,
he very strongly kicked the sleeping man, thinking him to be Kåñëa. The sleeping
man had been lying down for a very long time. When he was awakened by the
kicking of Kälayavana, he immediately opened his eyes and began to look around in
all directions. At last he began to see Kälayavana, who was standing nearby. This
man was untimely awakened and therefore very angry, and when he looked upon
Kälayavana in his angry mood, rays of fire emanated from his eyes, and Kälayavana
burned into ashes within a moment.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-ninth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kåñëa
Erects the Dvärakä Fort.”
50 / Deliverance of Mucukunda
When Mahäräja Parékñit heard this incident of Kälayavana’s being burned to ashes,
he inquired about the sleeping man from Çukadeva Gosvämé: “Who was he? Why was
he sleeping there? How had he achieved so much power that instantly, by his glance,
Kälayavana was burned to ashes? How did he happen to be lying down in the cave of
the hill?” Many questions were put before Çukadeva Gosvämé, and Çukadeva also
answered, as follows.
“My dear King, this person was born in the very great family of King Ikñväku, in
which Lord Rämacandra was also born, and he happened to be the son of a great
king known as Mändhätä. He himself was also a great soul and was known popularly
as Mucukunda. King Mucukunda was a very strict follower of the Vedic principles of
brahminical culture, and he was truthful to his promise. He was so powerful that
even demigods like Indra and others used to ask him to please help in fighting with
the demons, and as such, he often fought against the demons to protect the
demigods.”
The commander-in-chief of the demigods, known as Kärttikeya, was satisfied with
the fighting of King Mucukunda, but once he asked that the King, having taken too
much trouble in fighting with the demons, retire from fighting and take rest. The
commander-in-chief, Kärttikeya, addressed King Mucukunda, “My dear King, you
have sacrificed everything for the sake of the demigods. You had a very nice
kingdom undisturbed by any kind of enemy. You left that kingdom, you neglected
your opulence and possessions, and you never cared for fulfillment of your personal
ambition. Due to your long absence from your kingdom while fighting with the
demons on behalf of the demigods, your family, your children, your relatives and
your ministers have all passed away in due course of time. Time and tide wait for no
living man. Now even if you retire to your home, you will find that no one is living
there. The influence of time is very strong; all your relatives have passed away in due
course of time. Time is so strong and powerful because it is a representation of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; time is therefore stronger than the strongest. By
the influence of time, changes in subtle things can be effected without any difficulty.
No one can check the process of time. As an animal tamer tames animals according
to his will, so time also enters things according to its own will. No one can supersede
the arrangement made by the supreme time.”
Thus addressing Mucukunda, the demigods requested him to ask for any kind of
benediction he might be pleased with, excepting the benediction of liberation.
Liberation cannot be awarded by any living entity except the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Viñëu. Therefore another name of Lord Viñëu or Kåñëa is Mukunda, He
who can award liberation.
King Mucukunda had not slept for many, many years. He was engaged in the duty of
fighting, and therefore he was very tired. So when the demigod offered benediction,
Mucukunda simply thought of sleeping. He replied as follows: “My dear Kärttikeya,
the best of the demigods, I want to sleep now, and I want from you the following
benediction. Grant me the power to burn, by my mere glance, anyone to ashes who
tries to disturb my sleeping and awakens me untimely. Please give me this
benediction.” The demigod agreed and also gave him the benediction that he would
be able to take complete rest. Then King Mucukunda entered the cave of the
mountain.
On the strength of the benediction of Kärttikeya, Kälayavana was burnt into ashes
simply by Mucukunda’s glancing at him. When the incident was over, Kåñëa came
before King Mucukunda. Kåñëa had actually entered the cave to deliver King
Mucukunda from his austerity, but He did not first appear before him. He arranged
that first Kälayavana should come before him. That is the way of the activities of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; He does one thing in such a way that many other
purposes are served. He wanted to deliver King Mucukunda, who was sleeping in the
cave, and at the same time He wanted to kill Kälayavana, who had attacked Mathurä
City. By this action He served all purposes.
When Lord Kåñëa appeared before Mucukunda, the King saw Him dressed in a
yellow garment, His chest marked with the symbol of Çrévatsa, and the Kaustubhamaëi
hanging around His neck. Kåñëa appeared before him with four hands, as
Viñëu-mürti, with a garland called vaijayanté hanging from His neck down to His
knees. He was looking very lustrous, His face was very beautifully smiling, and He
had nice jeweled earrings in both His ears. Kåñëa appeared more beautiful than a
human can conceive. Not only did He appear in this feature, but He glanced over
Mucukunda with great splendor, attracting the King’s mind. Although He was the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, the oldest of all, He looked like a fresh young boy,
and His movement was just like that of a free deer. He appeared extremely powerful;
His excellence in power is so great that every human being should be afraid of Him.
When King Mucukunda saw Kåñëa’s magnificent features, he wondered about His
identity, and with great humility he began to inquire from the Lord, “My dear Lord,
may I inquire how it is that You happened to be in the cave of this mountain? Who
are You? I can see that Your feet are just like soft lotus flowers. How could You walk
in this forest full of thorns and hedges? I am simply surprised to see this! Are You
not, therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the most powerful
amongst the powerful? Are You not the original source of all illumination and fire?
Can I consider You one of the great demigods, like the sun, the moon, or Indra, King
of heaven? Or are You the predominating deity of any other planet?”
Mucukunda knew well that every higher planetary system has a predominating deity.
He was not ignorant like modern men who consider that this earthly planet is full of
living entities and all others are vacant. The inquiry from Mucukunda about Kåñëa’s
being the predominating deity of a planet unknown to him is quite appropriate.
Because he was a pure devotee of the Lord, King Mucukunda could immediately
understand that Lord Kåñëa, who had appeared before him in such an opulent
feature, could not be one of the predominating deities in the material planets. He
must be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, who has His many Viñëu
forms. He therefore took Him to be Puruñottama, Lord Viñëu. He could see also that
the dense darkness within the mountain cave had already been dissipated due to the
Lord’s presence; therefore He could not be other than the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. He knew very well that wherever the Lord is personally present by His
transcendental name, quality, form, etc., there cannot be any darkness of ignorance.
He is like a lamp placed in the darkness; He immediately illuminates a dark place.
King Mucukunda became very much anxious to know about the identity of Lord
Kåñëa, and therefore he said, “O best of human beings, if You think that I am fit to
know about Your identity, then kindly tell me who You are. What is Your parentage?
What is Your occupational duty, and what is Your family tradition?” King
Mucukunda thought it wise, however, to identify himself to the Lord; otherwise he
had no right to ask the Lord’s identity. Etiquette is such that a person of less
importance cannot ask the identity of a person of higher importance without first
disclosing his own identity. King Mucukunda therefore informed Lord Kåñëa, “My
dear Lord, I must inform You of my identitification. I belong to the most celebrated
dynasty of King Ikñväku, but personally I am not as great as my forefather. My name
is Mucukunda. My father’s name was Mändhätä, and my grandfather’s name was
Yuvanäçva, the great king. I was very much fatigued due to not resting for many
thousands of years, and because of this all my bodily limbs were flattened and almost
incapable of acting. In order to revive my energy, I was taking rest in this solitary
cave, but I have been awakened by some unknown man who has forced me to wake
up although I was not willing to do so. For such an offensive act, this person has been
burnt into ashes simply by my glancing over him. Fortunately, now I can see You in
Your grand and beautiful features. I think, therefore, that You are the cause of
killing my enemy. My dear Lord, I must admit that due to the effulgence of Your
body, unbearable to my eyes, I cannot see You properly. I can fully realize that by the
influence of Your effulgence my powerful potency has been diminished. I can
understand that You are quite fit for being worshiped by all living entities.”
Seeing King Mucukunda so anxious to know about His identity, Lord Kåñëa began to
answer smilingly, as follows: “My dear King, it is practically impossible to tell about
My birth, appearance, disappearance and activities. Perhaps you know that My
incarnation Anantadeva has unlimited mouths, and for an unlimited time He has
been trying to narrate fully about My name, fame, qualities, activities, appearance,
disappearance and incarnation, but still He has not been able to finish. Therefore, it
is not possible to know exactly how many names and forms I possess. It may be
possible for a material scientist to estimate the number of atomic particles which
make up this earthly planet, but the scientist cannot enumerate My unlimited
names, forms and activities. There are many great sages and saintly persons who are
trying to make a list of My different forms and activities, yet they have failed to
make a complete list. But since you are so anxious to know about Me, I may inform
you that presently I have appeared on this planet just to annihilate the demoniac
principles of the people in general and to reestablish the religious principles
enjoined in the Vedas. I have been invited for this purpose by Brahmä, the
superintending deity of this universe, and thus I have now appeared in the dynasty
of the Yadus as one of their family members. I have specifically taken My birth as the
son of Vasudeva in the Yadu dynasty, and people therefore know Me as Väsudeva,
the son of Vasudeva. You may also know that I have killed Kaàsa, who was in a
previous life was known as Kälanemi, as well as Pralambäsura and many other
demons. They have acted as My enemies and have been killed by Me. The demon
who was present before you also acted as My enemy, and you have very kindly
burned him into ashes by glancing over him. My dear King Mucukunda, you are My
great devotee, and just to show you My causeless mercy, I have appeared in this form.
I am very affectionately inclined toward My devotees, and in your previous life,
before your present condition, you acted as My great devotee and prayed for My
causeless mercy. I have, therefore, come to see you to fulfill your desire. Now you can
see Me to your heart’s content. My dear King, now you can ask from Me any
benediction that you wish, and I am prepared to fulfill your desire. It is My eternal
principle that anyone who comes under My shelter must have all his desires fulfilled
by My grace.”
When Lord Kåñëa ordered King Mucukunda to ask a benediction from Him, the
King became very joyful, and he immediately remembered the prediction of
Gargamuni, who had foretold long before that in the twenty-eighth millennium of
Vaivasvata Manu, Lord Kåñëa would appear on this planet. As soon as he
remembered this prediction, he began to understand that the Supreme Person,
Näräyaëa, was present before Him as Lord Kåñëa. He immediately fell down at His
lotus feet and began to pray as follows.
“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, I can understand that all living
entities on this planet are illusioned by Your external energy and are enamored of
the illusory satisfaction of sense gratification. Being fully engaged in illusory
activities, they are reluctant to worship Your lotus feet, and because they are
unaware of the benefits of surrendering unto Your lotus feet they are subjected to
various miserable conditions of material existence. They are foolishly attached to socalled
society, friendship and love, which simply produce different kinds of miserable
conditions. Illusioned by Your external energy, everyone, both man and woman, is
attached to this material existence, and all are engaged in cheating one another in a
great society of the cheaters and the cheated. These foolish persons do not know
how fortunate they are to have obtained this human form of life, and they are
reluctant to worship Your lotus feet. By the influence of Your external energy, they
are simply attached to the glare of material activities. They are attached to so-called
society, friendship and love like dumb animals that have fallen into a dark well.” The
example of a dark well is given because in the fields there are many wells, unused for
years and covered over by grass, and the poor animals, without knowing of them, fall
into them, and unless they are rescued, they die. Being captivated by a few blades of
grass, the animals fall into a dark well and meet death. Similarly, foolish persons,
without knowing the importance of the human form of life, spoil it simply for sense
gratification and die unnecessarily, without any useful purpose.
“My dear Lord, I am not an exception to this universal law of material nature. I am
also one of those foolish persons who has wasted his time for nothing. And my
position is especially difficult. On account of my being situated in the royal order, I
was more puffed up than ordinary persons. An ordinary man thinks of becoming the
proprietor of his body or of his family, but I began to think in that way on a larger
scale. I wanted to be the master of the whole world, and as I became puffed up with
ideas of sense gratification, my bodily concept of life became stronger and stronger.
My attachment for home, wife and children, for money and for supremacy over the
world, became more and more acute; in fact, it was limitless. So I remained always
attached to thoughts of my material living conditions.
“Therefore, my dear Lord, I wasted so much of my valuable lifetime without any
benefit. My misconception of life having been intensified, I began to think of this
material body, which is just a bag of flesh and bones, as the all in all, and in my
vanity I was like a dog who believes that he has become the king of human society.
In this misconception of bodily life, I began to travel all over the world, accompanied
by my military strength—soldiers, charioteers, elephants and horses. Assisted by
many commanders and puffed up by power, I could not trace out Your Lordship, who
is always sitting within my heart as the most intimate friend. I did not care for You,
and this was the fault of my so-called exalted material condition. I think that, like
me, all living creatures are careless about spiritual realization and are always full of
anxieties, thinking, ‘What is to be done?’ ‘What is next?’ But because we are strongly
bound by material desires, we continue to remain in craziness.
“Yet in spite of our being so absorbed in material thought, inevitable time, which is
only a form of Yourself, is always careful about its duty, and as soon as the allotted
time is over, Your Lordship immediately ends all the activities of our material
dreams. As the time factor, You end all our activities, as the hungry black snake
swiftly swallows up a small rat without any leniency. Due to the action of cruel time,
the royal body which was always decorated with gold ornaments during life and
which moved on a chariot drawn by beautiful horses or on the back of an elephant
nicely decorated with golden ornaments, and which was advertised as the king of
human society—that same royal body decomposes under the influence of inevitable
time and becomes fit for being eaten by worms and insects or being turned into ashes
or the stool of an animal. This beautiful body may be nice while in the living
condition, but after death even the body of a king is eaten by an animal and
therefore turns into stool or is cremated in the crematorium and turned into ashes or
is put into an earthly grave where different kinds of worms and insects are produced
out of it.
“My dear Lord, not only do we become under the full control of this inevitable time
after death, but also while living, in a different way. For example, I may be a
powerful king, and yet when I come home after conquering over the world I become
subjected to many material conditions. It may be that when I come back after being
victorious all subordinate kings come and offer their respects, but as soon as I enter
into the inner section of my palace, I myself become an instrument in the hands of
the queens, and for sense gratification I have to fall down at the feet of women. The
material way of life is so complicated that before taking the enjoyment of material
life one has to work so hard that there is scarcely an opportunity for enjoying. And
to attain the youthful condition with all material facilities one has to undergo severe
austerities and penances and become elevated to the heavenly planets. If one gets
the opportunity of taking birth in a very rich or royal family, even then in that
condition he is always anxious to maintain the status quo and prepare for the next
life by performing various kinds of sacrifices and by distributing charity. Even in the
royal condition of life one is not only full of anxieties because of political
administration, but he is also in anxiety over being elevated to heavenly planets.
“It is therefore very difficult to get out of the material entanglement, but somehow or
other if one is favored by You, by Your mercy only he is given the opportunity to
associate with a pure devotee. That is the beginning point of liberation from the
entanglement of material conditional life. My dear Lord, only by the association of
pure devotees is one entrapped by Your Lordship, who is the controller of both the
material and spiritual existences. You are the supreme goal of all pure devotees, and
by association with pure devotees one can develop his dormant love for You.
Therefore, development of Kåñëa consciousness in the association of pure devotees is
the cause of liberation from this material entanglement.
“My dear Lord, You are so merciful that in spite of my being reluctant to associate
with Your great devotees You have shown Your extreme mercy upon me as a result
of my slight contact with a pure devotee like Gargamuni. By Your causeless mercy
only have I lost all my material opulences, my kingdom and my family. I do not think
that I could have gotten rid of all these entanglements without Your causeless mercy.
Kings and emperors accept the life of austerity to forget the royal condition of life,
but by Your special causeless mercy I have already been bereft of the royal condition.
Other kings exert themselves to get out of the attachment of kingdom and family by
acceptance of the hardships of renunciation, but by Your mercy I do not need to
become a mendicant or to practice renunciation.
“My dear Lord, I therefore pray that I may simply be engaged in rendering
transcendental loving service unto Your lotus feet, which is the ambition of the pure
devotees who are freed from all kinds of material contamination. You are the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and You can offer me anything I want, including
liberation. But who is such a foolish person that after pleasing You he would ask
from You something which might be the cause of entanglement in this material
world? I do not think any sane man would ask such a benediction from You. I
therefore surrender unto You because You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
You are the Supersoul living in everyone’s heart, and You are the impersonal
Brahman effulgence. Moreover, You are also this material world, because this
material world is only the manifestation of Your external energy. Therefore, from
any angle of vision, You are the supreme shelter for everyone. Everyone, either in
the material plane or in the spiritual plane, must take shelter under Your lotus feet. I
therefore submit unto You, my Lord. For many, many births I have been suffering
from the threefold miseries of this material existence, and I am now tired of it. I
have simply been impelled by my senses, and I was never satisfied. I therefore take
shelter of Your lotus feet, which are the source of all peaceful conditions of life and
which can eradicate all kinds of lamentation caused by material contamination. My
dear Lord, You are the Supersoul of everyone, and You can understand everything.
Now I am free from all contamination of material desire. I do not wish to enjoy this
material world, nor do I wish to take advantage of merging into Your spiritual
effulgence, nor do I wish to meditate upon Your localized aspect of Paramätmä, for I
know that simply by taking shelter of You, I shall become completely peaceful and
undisturbed.”
On hearing this statement of King Mucukunda, Lord Kåñëa replied, “My dear King, I
am very much pleased with your statement. You have been the king of all the lands
on this planet, but I am surprised to find that your mind is now freed from all
material contamination. You are now fit to execute devotional service. I am most
pleased to see that although I offered you the opportunity of asking from Me any
kind of benediction, you did not take advantage of asking for material benefit. I can
understand that your mind is now fixed in Me, and it is not disturbed by any
material fault.”
“The material qualities are three, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. When
one is placed in the mixed material qualities of passion and ignorance, he is impelled
by various kinds of dirtiness and lusty desires to try to find comfort in this material
world. When he is situated in the material quality of goodness, he tries to purify
himself by performing various kinds of penances and austerities. When one reaches
the platform of a real brähmaëa, he aspires to merge into the existence of the Lord,
but when one desires simply to render service unto the lotus feet of the Lord, that is
transcendental to all these three qualities. The pure Kåñëa conscious person is
therefore always free from all material qualities.
“My dear King, I offered to give you any kind of benediction, just to test how much
you have advanced in devotional service. Now I can see that you are on the platform
of the pure devotees because your mind is not disturbed by any kind of greedy or
lusty desires of this material world. The yogés who are trying to elevate themselves by
controlling the senses and who meditate upon Me by practicing the breathing
exercises of präëäyäma are not so thoroughly freed from material desires. It has been
seen in several cases that as soon as there is allurement, such yogés again come down
to the material platform.”
The vivid example verifying this statement is Viçvämitra Muni. Viçvämitra Muni
was a great yogé who practiced präëäyäma, a breathing exercise, but still when he
was visited by Menakä, a society woman of the heavenly planet, he lost all control
and begot in her a daughter named Çakuntalä. But the pure devotee Haridäsa
Öhäkur was never disturbed, even when all such allurements were offered by the
prostitutes.
“My dear King,” Lord Kåñëa continued, “I therefore give you the special benediction
that you will always think of Me. Thus you will be able to traverse this material
world freely, without being contaminated by the qualities.” This statement of the
Lord confirms that a person in true Kåñëa consciousness, engaged in the
transcendental loving service of the Lord under the direction of the spiritual master,
is never subjected to the contamination of material qualities.
“My dear King,” the Lord said, “because you are a kñatriya, you have committed the
offense of slaughtering animals, both in hunting and in political engagements. To
become purified, just engage yourself in bhakti-yoga practice and always keep your
mind absorbed in Me. Very soon you will be freed from all reactions to such sordid
activities.” In this statement it appears that although the kñatriyas are allowed to kill
animals in the hunting process, they are not freed from the contamination of other
sinful reactions. Therefore it does not matter whether one is a kñatriya, vaiçya, or
brähmaëa; everyone is recommended to take sannyäsa at the end of life, to engage
himself completely in the service of the Lord and thus become freed from all sinful
reactions of his past life.
The Lord then assured King Mucukunda, “In your next life you will take your birth
as a first-class Vaiñëava, the best of brähmaëas, and in that life your only business
will be to engage yourself in My transcendental service.” The Vaiñëava is the firstclass
brähmaëa, because one who has not acquired the qualification of a bona fide
brähmaëa cannot come to the platform of a Vaiñëava. When one comes to the
platform of a Vaiñëava, he is completely engaged in welfare activities for all living
entities. The highest welfare activity for living entities is the preaching of Kåñëa
consciousness. It is stated herein that those who are specifically favored by the Lord
can become absolutely Kåñëa conscious and be engaged in the preaching work of the
Vaiñëava philosophy.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fiftieth Chapter of Kåñëa, “Deliverance
of Mucukunda.”
51 / Kåñëa, the Ranchor
When Mucukunda, the celebrated descendant of the Ikñväku dynasty, was favored
by Lord Kåñëa, he circumambulated the Lord within the cave and then came out. On
coming out of the cave, Mucukunda saw that the stature of the human species had
surprisingly been reduced to pigmy size. Similarly, the trees had also far reduced in
size, and Mucukunda could immediately understand that the current age was Kaliyuga.
Therefore, without diverting his attention, he began to travel north.
Eventually he reached the mountain known as Gandhamädana. It appeared there
were many trees on this mountain, such as sandalwood and other flower trees, the
flavor of which made anyone joyful who reached them. He decided to remain in that
Gandhamädana Mountain region in order to execute austerities and penances for
the rest of his life. It appears that this place is situated in the northernmost part of
the Himalayan Mountains, where the abode of Nara-Näräyaëa is situated. This place
is still existing and is called Badarikäçrama. In Badarikäçrama he engaged himself in
the worship of Lord Kåñëa, forgetting all pain and pleasure and the other dualities of
this material world. Lord Kåñëa also returned to the vicinity of the city of Mathurä
and began to fight with the soldiers of Kälayavana and kill them one after another.
After this, He collected all the booty from the dead bodies, and under His direction,
it was loaded on bullock carts by big men and brought back to Dvärakä.
Meanwhile, Jaräsandha again attacked Mathurä, this time with bigger divisions of
soldiers, numbering twenty-three akñauhiëés.
Lord Çré Kåñëa wanted to save Mathurä from the eighteenth attack of the great
military divisions of King Jaräsandha. In order to prevent further killing of soldiers
and to attend to other important business, Lord Kåñëa left the battlefield without
fighting. Actually He was not at all afraid, but He pretended to be an ordinary
human being frightened by the immense quantity of soldiers and resources of
Jaräsandha. Without any weapons He left the battlefield. Although His lotus feet
were as soft as the petals of the lotus flower, He proceeded for a very long distance
on foot.
This time, Jaräsandha thought that Kåñëa and Balaräma were very much afraid of
His military strength and were fleeing from the battlefield. He began to follow Them
with all his chariots, horses and infantry. He thought Kåñëa and Balaräma to be
ordinary human beings, and he was trying to measure the activities of the Lord.
Kåñëa is known as Ranchor, which means “one who has left the battlefield.” In India,
especially in Gujarat, there are many temples of Kåñëa which are known as temples
of Ranchorjé. Ordinarily, if a king leaves the battlefield without fighting he is called
a coward, but when Kåñëa enacts this pastime, leaving the battlefield without
fighting, He is worshiped by the devotee. A demon always tries to measure the
opulence of Kåñëa, whereas the devotee never tries to measure His strength and
opulence, but always surrenders unto Him and worships Him. By following the
footsteps of pure devotees we can know that Kåñëa, the Ranchorjé, did not leave the
battlefield because He was afraid, but because He had some other purpose. The
purpose, as it will be revealed, was to attend to a confidential letter sent by Rukmiëé,
His future first wife. The act of Kåñëa’s leaving the battlefield is a display of one of
His six opulences. Kåñëa is the supreme powerful, the supreme wealthy, the supreme
famous, the supreme wise, the supreme beautiful; similarly He is the supreme
renouncer. Çrémad-Bhägavatam clearly states that He left the battlefield in spite of
having ample military strength. Even without His militia, however, He alone would
have been sufficient to defeat the army of Jaräsandha, as He had done seventeen
times before. Therefore, His leaving the battlefield is an example of His supermost
opulence of renunciation.
After traversing a very long distance, the brothers pretended to become very tired.
To mitigate Their weariness They climbed up a very high mountain several miles
above sea level. This mountain was called Pravarñaëa due to constant rain. The peak
was always covered with clouds sent by Indra. Jaräsandha took it for granted that the
two brothers were afraid of his military power and had hidden Themselves at the top
of the mountain. First he tried to find Them, searching for a long time, but when he
failed he decided to trap and kill Them by setting fires around the peak. He
therefore surrounded the peak with oil and set it on fire. As the blaze spread more
and more, Kåñëa and Balaräma jumped from the top of the mountain down to the
ground—a distance of eighty-eight miles. Thus, while the peak was burning up,
Kåñëa and Balaräma escaped without being seen by Jaräsandha. Jaräsandha
concluded that the two brothers had been burned to ashes and that there was no
need of further fighting. Thinking himself successful in his efforts, he left the city of
Mathurä and returned to his home in the kingdom of Magadha. Gradually Kåñëa and
Balaräma reached the city of Dvärakä, which was surrounded on all sides by the sea.
Following this, Çré Balaräma married Revaté, daughter of King Raivata, ruler of the
Änarta province. This is explained in the Ninth Canto of Çrémad-Bhägavatam.
After the marriage of Baladeva, Kåñëa married Rukmiëé. Rukmiëé was the daughter
of King Bhéñmaka, ruler of the province known as Vidarbha. Just as Kåñëa is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, Rukmiëé is the supreme goddess of
fortune, Mahä-Lakñmé. According to the authority of Caitanya-caritämåta, the
expansion of Kåñëa and Çré Rädhäräëé is simultaneous; Kåñëa expands Himself into
various Viñëu-tattva forms, and Çrématé Rädhäräëé expands Herself into various
çakti-tattva forms by Her internal potency, as multi-forms of the goddess of fortune.
According to Vedic convention, there are eight kinds of marriages. In the first-class
marriage system, the parents of the bride and bridegroom arrange the marriage date.
Then, in royal style, the bridegroom goes to the house of the bride, and in the
presence of brähmaëas, priests and relatives, the bride is given in charity to the
bridegroom. Besides this, there are other systems, such as the gandharva and räkñasa
marriages. Rukmiëé was married to Kåñëa in the räkñasa style because she was
kidnapped by Him the presence of His many rivals, like Çiçupäla, Jaräsandha, Çälva
and others. While Rukmiëé was being given in charity to Çiçupäla, she was snatched
from the marriage arena by Kåñëa, exactly as Garuòa snatched the pot of nectar from
the demons. Rukmiëé, the only daughter of King Bhéñmaka, was exquisitely beautiful.
She was known as Ruciränanä, which means “one who has a beautiful face,
expanding like a lotus flower.”
Devotees of Kåñëa are always anxious to hear about the transcendental activities of
the Lord. His activities of fighting, kidnapping and running away from the
battlefield are all transcendental, being on the absolute platform, and devotees take
a transcendental interest in hearing of them. The pure devotee does not make the
distinction that some activities of the Lord should be heard and others should be
avoided. There is, however, a class of so-called devotees known as präkåta sahajiyä
who are very interested in hearing about Kåñëa’s räsa-lélä with the gopés, but not
about His fighting activities with His enemies. They do not know that His bellicose
activities and His friendly activities with the gopés are equally transcendental, being
on the absolute platform. The transcendental pastimes of Kåñëa described in the
Çrémad-Bhägavatam are relished by pure devotees through submissive aural
reception. They do not reject even a drop.
The story of Kåñëa’s marriage with Rukmiëé is described as follows. The King of
Vidarbha, Mahäräja Bhéñmaka, was a very qualified and devoted prince. He had five
sons and only one daughter. The first son was known as Rukmé; the second,
Rukmaratha; the third, Rukmabähu; the fourth and youngest, Rukmakeça; and the
fifth, Rukmamälé. The brothers had one young sister, Rukmiëé. She was beautiful
and chaste and was meant to be married to Lord Kåñëa. Many saintly persons and
sages like Närada Muni and others used to visit the palace of King Bhéñmaka.
Naturally Rukmiëé had a chance to talk with them, and in this way she obtained
information about Kåñëa. She was informed about the six opulences of Kåñëa, and
simply by hearing about Him, she desired to surrender herself to His lotus feet and
become His wife. Kåñëa had also heard of Rukmiëé. She was the reservoir of all
transcendental qualities: intelligence, liberal-mindedness, exquisite beauty and
righteous behavior. Kåñëa therefore decided that she was fit to be His wife. All of the
family members and relatives of King Bhéñmaka decided that Rukmiëé should be
given in marriage to Kåñëa. However her elder brother, Rukmé, despite the desire of
the others, arranged for her marriage with Çiçupäla, a determined enemy of Kåñëa.
When the black-eyed, beautiful Rukmiëé heard the settlement, she immediately
became very morose. However, being a king’s daughter, she understood political
diplomacy and decided that there was no use in simply being morose. Some steps
should be taken immediately. After some deliberation, she decided to send a message
to Kåñëa, and so that she might not be deceived, she selected a qualified brähmaëa as
her messenger. Such a qualified brähmaëa is always truthful and is a devotee of
Viñëu. Without delay, the brähmaëa was sent to Dvärakä.
Reaching the gate of Dvärakä, the brähmaëa informed the doorkeeper of his arrival,
and the doorkeeper led him to the place where Kåñëa was sitting on a golden throne.
Since the brähmaëa had the opportunity of being Rukmiëé’s messenger, he was
fortunate enough to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa, who is the
original cause of all causes. A brähmaëa is the spiritual teacher of all the social
divisions. Lord Çré Kåñëa, in order to teach everyone the Vedic etiquette of how to
respect a brähmaëa, immediately got up and offered him His throne. When the
brähmaëa was seated on the golden throne, Lord Çré Kåñëa began to worship him
exactly in the manner in which the demigods worship Kåñëa. In this way, He taught
everyone that worshiping His devotee is more valuable than worshiping Himself.
In due time, the brähmaëa took his bath, accepted his meals and took to rest on a
bedstead completely bedecked with soft silk. As he was resting, Lord Çré Kåñëa
silently approached and, with great respect, put the brähmaëa’s legs on His lap and
began to massage them. In this way, Kåñëa appeared before the brähmaëa and said,
“My dear brähmaëa, I hope that you are executing the religious principles without
any difficulty and that your mind is always in a peaceful condition.” Different classes
of people in the social system are engaged in various professions, and when one
inquires as to the well-being of a particular person, it must be done on the basis of
that person’s occupation. Therefore, when one inquires as to the welfare of a
brähmaëa, the questions should be worded according to his condition of life so as not
to disturb him. A peaceful mind is the basis for becoming truthful, clean, equipoised,
self-controlled and tolerant. Thus by attaining knowledge and knowing its practical
application in life, one becomes convinced about the Absolute Truth. The brähmaëa
knew Kåñëa to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and still he accepted the
respectful service of the Lord on the grounds of Vedic social convention. Lord Çré
Kåñëa was playing just like a human being. Belonging to the kñatriya division of the
social system, and being a young boy, it was His duty to show respect to such a
brähmaëa.
Lord Kåñëa continued: “O best of all the brähmaëas, you should always remain
satisfied because if a brähmaëa is always self-satisfied he will not deviate from his
prescribed duties; and simply by sticking to one’s prescribed duties, everyone,
especially the brähmaëas, can attain the highest perfection of all desires. Even if a
person is as opulent as the King of heaven, Indra, if he is not satisfied he inevitably
has to transmigrate from one planet to another. Such a person can never be happy
under any circumstances; but if a person’s mind is satisfied, even if he is bereft of his
high position, he can be happy living anywhere and everywhere.”
This instruction of Kåñëa to the brähmaëa is very significant. The purport is that a
true brähmaëa should not be disturbed in any situation. In this modern age of Kaliyuga,
the so-called brähmaëas have accepted the abominable position of the çüdras
or less than çüdras and still want to pass as qualified brähmaëas. Actually, a qualified
brähmaëa always sticks to his own duties and never accepts those of a çüdra or of
one less than a çüdra. It is advised in the authorized scriptures that a brähmaëa may,
under awkward circumstances, accept the profession of a kñatriya or even a vaiçya,
but never is he to accept the profession of a çüdra. Lord Kåñëa declared that a
brähmaëa should never be disturbed by any adverse conditions of life if he
scrupulously sticks to his religious principles. In conclusion, Lord Çré Kåñëa said: “I
offer My respectful obeisances to the brähmaëas and Vaiñëavas, because the
brähmaëas are always self-satisfied, and the Vaiñëavas are always engaged in actual
welfare activities for the human society. They are the best friends of the people in
general; both are free from false egoism and are always in a peaceful condition of
mind.”
Lord Kåñëa then desired to know about the rulers (kñatriyas) in the brähmaëa’s
kingdom, so He inquired whether the citizens of the kingdom were all happy. A
king’s qualification is judged by the temperament of the people in the kingdom. If
they are very happy in all respects, it is to be understood that the king is honest and
executing his duties rightly. Kåñëa said that the king in whose kingdom the citizens
are happy is very dear to Him. Of course Kåñëa could understand that the brähmaëa
had come with a confidential message; therefore He said, “If you have no objection, I
am giving you permission to speak about your mission.” Thus, being very satisfied by
these transcendental pastimes with the Lord, the brähmaëa narrated the whole story
of his mission to come and see Kåñëa. He got out the letter which Rukmiëé had
written to Kåñëa and said, “These are the words of Princess Rukmiëé: ‘My dear
Kåñëa, O infallible and most beautiful one, any human being who happens to hear
about Your transcendental form and pastimes immediately absorbs through his ears
Your name, fame and qualities; thus all his material pangs subside, and he fixes Your
form in his heart. Through such transcendental love for You, he sees You always
within himself; and by this process all his desires become fulfilled. Similarly, I have
heard of Your transcendental qualities. I may be shameless in expressing myself so
directly, but You have captivated me and taken my heart. You may suspect that I am
an unmarried girl, young in age, and may dobut my steadiness of character, but my
dear Mukunda, You are the supreme lion among the human beings, the supreme
person among persons. Any girl, although not yet out of her home, or any woman
who may be of the highest chastity, would desire to marry You, being captivated by
Your unprecedented character, knowledge, opulence and position. I know that You
are the husband of the goddess of fortune and that You are very kind toward Your
devotees; therefore I have decided to become Your eternal maidservant. My dear
Lord, I dedicate my life and soul unto Your lotus feet. I have accepted Your Lordship
as my selected husband, and I therefore request You to accept me as Your wife. You
are the supreme powerful, O lotus-eyed one. Now I belong to You. If that which is
enjoyable for the lion to eat is taken away by the jackal, it will be a ludicrous affair;
therefore I request You to immediately take care of me before I am taken away by
Çiçupäla and other princes like him. My dear Lord, in my previous life I may have
done public welfare work like digging wells and growing trees, or pious activities such
as performing ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices and serving the superior spiritual
master, the brähmaëas and Vaiñëavas. By these activities, perhaps I have pleased the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Näräyaëa. If this is so, then I wish that You, Lord
Kåñëa, the brother of Lord Balaräma, would please come here and catch hold of my
hand so that I may not be touched by Çiçupäla and his company.'”
Rukmiëé’s marriage with Çiçupäla was already settled; therefore she suggested that
Kåñëa kidnap her so that this might be changed. This sort of marriage, in which the
girl is kidnapped by force, is known as räkñasa and is practiced among the kñatriyas,
or the administrative, martial spirited type of men. Because her marriage was already
arranged to take place the next day, Rukmiëé suggested that Kåñëa come there
incognito to kidnap her and then fight with Çiçupäla and his allies like the King of
Magadha. Knowing that no one could conquer Kåñëa and that He would certainly
emerge victorious, she addressed Him as Ajita—the unconquerable. Rukmiëé told
Kåñëa not to be concerned that many of her family members, including other
women, might be wounded or even killed if the fighting took place within the
palace. As the king of a country thinks of diplomatic ways to achieve his object,
similarly Rukmiëé, being the daughter of a king, was diplomatic in suggesting how
this unnecessary and undesirable killing could be avoided.
She explained that it was the custom of her family to visit the temple of the goddess
Durgä, their family deity, before a marriage. (The kñatriya kings were mostly staunch
Vaiñëavas, worshiping Lord Viñëu in either the Rädhä-Kåñëa or Lakñmé-Näräyaëa
form; still, for their material welfare they used to worship the goddess Durgä. They
never made the mistake, however, of accepting the demigods as the Supreme Lord
on the level of Viñëu-tattva, as did some less intelligent men.) In order to avoid the
unnecessary killing of her relatives, Rukmiëé suggested that it would be easiest for
Him to kidnap her while she was either going from the palace to the temple or else
while she was returning home.
She also explained to Kåñëa why she was so anxious to be married to Him, even
though her marriage was to take place with Çiçupäla, who was also qualified, being
the son of a great king. Rukmiëé said that she did not think anyone was greater than
Kåñëa, not even Lord Çiva, who is known as Mahädeva, the greatest of all demigods.
Lord Çiva also seeks the pleasure of Lord Kåñëa in order to be delivered from his
entanglement in the quality of ignorance within the material world. In spite of the
fact that Lord Çiva is the greatest of all great souls, mahätmäs, he keeps on his head
the purifying water of the Ganges, which emanates from a hole in this material
universe made by the toe of Lord Viñëu. Lord Çiva is in charge of the material
quality of ignorance, and in order to keep himself in a transcendental position, he
always meditates on Lord Viñëu. Therefore Rukmiëé knew very well that obtaining
the favor of Kåñëa was not an easy job. If even Lord Çiva must purify himself for this
purpose, surely it would be difficult for Rukmiëé, who was only the daughter of a
kñatriya king. Thus she desired to dedicate her life to observing severe austerities and
penances, such as fasting and going without bodily comforts. If it were not possible
in this lifetime to gain Kåñëa’s favor by these activities, she was prepared to do the
same lifetime after lifetime. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is said that pure devotees of the
Lord execute devotional service with great determination. Such determination, as
exhibited by Rukmiëédevé, is the only price for purchasing Kåñëa’s favor and is the
way to ultimate success in Kåñëa consciousness.
After explaining Rukmiëédevé’s statement to Kåñëa, the brähmaëa said: “My dear
Kåñëa, chief of the Yadu dynasty, I have brought this confidential message for You
from Rukmiëé; now it is placed before You for Your consideration. After due
deliberation You can act as You please, but if You want to do something, You must
do it immediately. There is not much time left for action.”
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-first Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kåñëa, the
Ranchor.”
KB 1970-1-52 / Kåñëa Kidnaps Rukmiëé
52 / Kåñëa Kidnaps Rukmiëé
After hearing Rukmiëé’s statement, Lord Kåñëa was very pleased. He immediately
shook hands with the brähmaëa and said: “My dear brähmaëa, I am very glad to hear
that Rukmiëé is anxious to marry Me, since I am also anxious to get her hand. My
mind is always absorbed in the thought of the daughter of Bhéñmaka, and sometimes
I cannot sleep at night because I am thinking of her. I can understand that the
marriage of Rukmiëé with Çiçupäla has been arranged by her elder brother in a spirit
of animosity toward Me; so I am determined to give a good lesson to all of these
princes. Just as fire is extracted and utilized after manipulating ordinary wood,
similarly, after dealing with these demoniac princes, I shall bring forth Rukmiëé, like
fire, from their midst.”
Kåñëa, upon being informed of the specific date of Rukmiëé’s marriage, became
anxious to leave immediately. He asked His driver, Däruka, to harness the horses for
His chariot and prepare to go to the kingdom of Vidarbha. The driver, just after
hearing this order, brought Kåñëa’s four special horses. The names and descriptions
of these horses are mentioned in the Padma Puräëa. The first one, Çaivya, was
greenish; the second, Sugréva, was grayish like ice; the third, Meghapuñpa, was the
color of a new cloud; and the last, Balähaka, was of ashen color. When the horses
were yoked and the chariot ready to go, Kåñëa helped the brähmaëa up and gave him
a seat by His side. Immediately they started from Dvärakä and within one night
arrived at the province of Vidarbha. The kingdom of Dvärakä is situated in the
western part of India, and Vidarbha is situated in the northern part. They are
separated by a distance of not less than 1,000 miles, but the horses were so fast that
they reached their destination, a town called Kuëòina, within one night, or at most,
twelve hours.
King Bhéñmaka was not very enthusiastic about handing his daughter over to
Çiçupäla, but he was obliged to accept the marriage settlement due to his affectionate
attachment for his eldest son, who had negotiated it. As a matter of duty, he was
decorating the city for the marriage ceremony and was acting in great earnestness to
make it very successful. Water was sprinkled all over the streets, and the city was
cleansed very nicely. Since India is situated in the tropical zone, the atmosphere is
always dry. Due to this, dust always accumulates on the streets and roads; so they
must be sprinkled with water at least once a day, and in big cities like Calcutta, twice
a day. The roads of Kuëòina were arranged with colored flags and festoons, and gates
were constructed at particular crossings. The whole city was decorated very nicely.
The beauty of the city was enhanced by the inhabitants, both men and women, who
were dressed in washed cloth, decorated with sandalwood pulp, pearl necklaces and
flower garlands. Incense was burning everywhere, and fragrances like aguru scented
the air. Priests and brähmaëas were sumptuously fed and, according to ritualistic
ceremony, were given sufficient wealth and cows in charity. In this way, they were
engaged in chanting Vedic hymns. The King’s daughter, Rukmiëé, was exquisitely
beautiful. She was very clean and had beautiful teeth. The auspicious sacred girdle
was tied on her wrist. She was given various types of jewelry to put on and long
silken cloth to cover the upper and lower parts of her body. Learned priests gave her
protection by chanting mantras from the Säma Veda, Åg Veda and Yajur Veda.
After this they chanted mantras from the Atharva Veda and offered oblations in the
fire to pacify the ominous conjunctions of different stars.
King Bhéñmaka was very experienced in dealing with the brähmaëas and priests
when such ceremonies were held. He specifically distinguished the brähmaëas by
giving them large quantities of gold and silver, grains mixed with molasses, and cows
decorated with golden ornaments. Damaghoña, Çiçupäla’s father, executed all kinds
of ritualistic performances to invoke good fortune for his own family. Çiçupäla’s
father was known as Damaghoña due to his superior ability to cut down unregulated
citizens. Dama means curbing down, and ghoña means famous; so he was famous for
controlling the citizens. Damaghoña thought that if Kåñëa came to disturb the
marriage ceremony, he would certainly cut Him down with his military power.
Therefore, after performing the various auspicious ceremonies, Damaghoña gathered
his military divisions, known as Madasravi. He took many elephants, garlanded with
golden necklaces, and many chariots and horses which were similarly decorated. It
appeared that Damaghoña, along with his son and other companions, was going to
Kuëòina, not completely forgetting the marriage, but mainly intent on fighting.
When King Bhéñmaka learned that Damaghoña and his party were arriving, he left
the city to receive them. Outside the city gate there were many gardens where the
guests were welcomed to stay. In the Vedic system of marriage, the bride’s father
receives the large party of the bridegroom and accommodates them in a suitable
place for two or three days until the marriage ceremony is performed. The party led
by Damaghoña contained thousands of men, among whom the prominent kings and
personalities were Jaräsandha, Dantavakra, Vidüratha and Pauëòraka. It was an
open secret that Rukmiëé was meant to be married to Kåñëa but that her elder
brother, Rukmé, had arranged her marriage to Çiçupäla. There was also some
whispering going on about a rumor that Rukmiëé had sent a messenger to Kåñëa;
therefore the soldiers suspected that Kåñëa might cause a disturbance by attempting
to kidnap Rukmiëé. Even though they were not without fear, they were all prepared
to give Kåñëa a nice fight in order to prevent the girl from being taken away. Çré
Balaräma received the news that Kåñëa had left for Kuëòina accompanied only by a
brähmaëa; He also heard that Çiçupäla was there with a large number of soldiers.
Suspecting that they would attack Kåñëa, Balaräma took strong military divisions of
chariots, infantry, horses and elephants and arrived at the precinct of Kuëòina.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, Rukmiëé was expecting Kåñëa to arrive, but when
neither He nor the brähmaëa who took her message appeared, she became full of
anxiety and began to think how unfortunate she was. “There is only one night
between today and my marriage day, and still neither the brähmaëa nor
Çyämasundara has returned. I cannot ascertain any reason for this.” Having little
hope, she thought perhaps Kåñëa had found reason to become dissatisfied and had
rejected her fair proposal. As a result the brähmaëa might have become disappointed
and not come back. Although she was thinking of various causes for the delay, she
expected them both at every moment.
Rukmiëé further began to think that demigods such as Lord Brahmä, Lord Çiva and
the goddess Durgä might have been displeased. It is generally said that the demigods
become angry when they are not properly worshiped. For instance, when Indra
found that the inhabitants of Våndävana were not worshiping him (Kåñëa having
stopped the Indra-yajïa), he became very angry and wanted to chastise them. Thus
Rukmiëé was thinking that since she did not worship Lord Çiva or Lord Brahmä very
much, they might have become angry and tried to frustrate her plan. Similarly she
thought that the goddess Durgä, the wife of Lord Çiva, might have taken the side of
her husband. Lord Çiva is known as Rudra, and his wife is known as Rudräëé.
Rudräëé and Rudra refer to those who are very accustomed to putting others in a
distressed condition so they might cry forever. Rukmiëé was thinking of the goddess
Durgä as Girijä, the daughter of the Himalayan Mountains. The Himalayan
Mountains are very cold and hard, and she thought of the goddess Durgä as
hardhearted and cold. In her anxiety to see Kåñëa, Rukmiëé, who was after all still a
child, thought this way about the different demigods. The gopés worshiped goddess
Kätyäyané to get Kåñëa as their husband; similarly Rukmiëé was thinking of the
various types of demigods, not for material benefit, but in respect to Kåñëa. Praying
to the demigods to achieve the favor of Kåñëa is not irregular, and Rukmiëé was fully
absorbed in thoughts of Kåñëa.
Even though she pacified herself by thinking that the time for Govinda to arrive had
not yet expired, Rukmiëé felt that she was hoping against hope. She began to shed
tears, and when they became more forceful, she closed her eyes in helplessness.
While Rukmiëé was in such deep thought, auspicious symptoms appeared in different
parts of her body. Trembling began to occur in her left eyelid and in her arms and
thighs. When trembling occurs in these parts of the body it is an auspicious sign
indicating that something lucrative can be expected.
Just then Rukmiëé, full of anxiety, saw the brähmaëa messenger. Kåñëa, being the
Supersoul of all living beings, could understand Rukmiëé’s anxiety; therefore He sent
the brähmaëa inside the palace to let her know that He had arrived. When Rukmiëé
saw the brähmaëa, she could understand the auspicious trembling of her body and
immediately became elated. She smiled and inquired from him whether or not Kåñëa
had already come. The brähmaëa replied that the son of the Yadu dynasty, Çré
Kåñëa, had arrived; he further encouraged her by saying that Kåñëa had promised to
carry her away without fail. Rukmiëé was so elated by the brähmaëa’s message that
she wanted to give him in charity everything she possessed. However, finding
nothing suitable for presentation, she simply offered him her respectful obeisances.
The significance of offering respectful obeisances to a superior is that the one
offering obeisances is obliged to the respected person. In other words, Rukmiëé
implied that she would remain ever grateful to the brähmaëa. Anyone who gets the
favor of the goddess of fortune, as did this brähmaëa, is without a doubt always
happy in material opulence.
When King Bhéñmaka heard that Kåñëa and Balaräma had come, he invited Them to
see the marriage ceremony of his daughter. Immediately he arranged to receive
Them, along with Their soldiers, in a suitable garden house. As was the Vedic
custom, the King offered Kåñëa and Balaräma honey and fresh washed cloth. He was
hospitable not only to Kåñëa, Balaräma and kings such as Jaräsandha, but he also
received many other kings and princes according to their respective personal
strength, age and material possessions. Out of curiosity and eagerness, the people of
Kuëòina assembled before Kåñëa and Balaräma and began to drink the nectar of
Their beauty. With tearful eyes, they offered Them their silent respects. They were
very pleased, considering Lord Kåñëa the suitable match for Rukmiëé. They were so
eager to unite Kåñëa and Rukmiëé that they began to pray to the Personality of
Godhead: “My dear Lord, if we have performed any pious activities that You are
satisfied with, kindly be merciful upon us and accept the hand of Rukmiëé.” It
appears that Rukmiëé was a very popular princess, and all the citizens, out of intense
love for her, prayed for her best fortune. In the meantime, Rukmiëé, being very
nicely dressed and protected by bodyguards, came out of the palace to visit the
temple of Ambikä, the goddess Durgä.
Deity worship in the temple has been in existence since the beginning of Vedic
culture. There is a class of men described in the Bhagavad-gétä as the veda-väda-rata;
they only believe in the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies, but not in the temple worship.
Such foolish people may here take note that although this marriage of Kåñëa and
Rukmiëé took place more than 5,000 years ago, there were arrangements for temple
worship. In the Bhagavad-gétä the Lord says, yänti deva-vratä devän: “The
worshipers of the demigods attain the abodes of the demigods.” There were many
people who worshiped the demigods and many who directly worshiped the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. The system of demigod worship was directed mainly to Lord
Brahmä, Lord Çiva, Lord Gaëeça, the sun-god and the goddess Durgä. Lord Çiva and
the goddess Durgä were worshiped even by the royal families; other minor demigods
were worshiped by silly inferior people. As far as the brähmaëas and Vaiñëavas are
concerned, they simply worship Lord Viñëu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In
the Bhagavad-gétä the worship of demigods is condemned, but not forbidden; there it
is clearly stated that the less intelligent class of men worship the different kinds of
demigods for material benefit. On the other hand, even though Rukmiëé was the
goddess of fortune, she went to the temple of the goddess Durgä because the family
deity was worshiped there. In the Çrémad-Bhägavatam it is stated that as Rukmiëé
was proceeding towards the temple of the goddess Durgä, within her heart she was
always thinking of the lotus feet of Kåñëa. Therefore when Rukmiëé went to the
temple it was not with the intention of an ordinary person, who goes to beg for
material benefits; her only target was Kåñëa. When people go to the temple of a
demigod, the objective is actually Kåñëa, since it is He who empowers the demigods
to provide material benefits.
As Rukmiëé proceeded toward the temple, she was very silent and grave. Her mother
and her girl friend were by her side, and the wife of a brähmaëa was in the center;
surrounding her were bodyguards. (This custom of a would-be bride going to the
temple of a demigod is still practiced in India.) As the procession continued, various
musical sounds were heard. Drums, conchshells, and bugles of different sizes such as
paëavas, turyas and bheris combined to make a sound which was not only auspicious
but very sweet to hear. There were thousands of wives of respectable brähmaëas
present. These women were all dressed very nicely with suitable ornaments. They
presented Rukmiëé with flower garlands, sandalwood pulp and a variety of colorful
garments to assist her in worshiping Lord Çiva and the goddess Durgä. Some of these
ladies were very old and knew perfectly well how to chant prayers to the goddess
Durgä and Lord Çiva; so, followed by Rukmiëé and others, they led these prayers
before the deity.
Rukmiëé offered her prayers to the deity by saying, “My dear goddess Durgä, I offer
my respectful obeisances unto you as well as to your children.” The Goddess Durgä
has four famous children: two daughters—the goddess of fortune, Lakñmé, and the
goddess of learning, Sarasvaté—and two famous sons, Lord Gaëeça and Lord
Kärttikeya. They are all considered to be demigods and goddesses. Since the goddess
Durgä is always worshiped along with her famous children, Rukmiëé specifically
offered her respectful obeisances to the deity in that way; however, her prayers were
different. Ordinary people pray to the goddess Durgä for material wealth, fame,
profit, strength and so on; Rukmiëé, however, desired to have Kåñëa for her husband
and therefore prayed to the deity to be pleased upon her and bless her. Since she
desired only Kåñëa, her worship of the demigods is not condemned. While Rukmiëé
was praying, a variety of items were presented before the deity, chief of which were
water, different kinds of flames, incense, garments, garlands and various foodstuffs
prepared with ghee, such as puris and kacuris. There were also fruits, sugarcane,
betel nuts and spices offered. With great devotion, Rukmiëé offered them to the
deity according to the regulative principles directed by the old brähmaëa ladies.
After this ritualistic ceremony, the ladies offered the remnants of the foodstuffs to
Rukmiëé as prasädam, which she accepted with great respect. Then Rukmiëé offered
her obeisances to the ladies and to the goddess Durgä. After the business of deity
worship was finished, Rukmiëé caught hold of the hand of one of her girl friends and
left the temple, accompanied by the others.
All the princes and visitors who came to Kuëòina for the marriage were assembled
outside the temple to see Rukmiëé. The princes were especially very eager to see her
because they all actually thought that they would have Rukmiëé as their wife. Struck
with wonder upon seeing Rukmiëé, they thought that she was specially
manufactured by the Creator to bewilder all the great chivalrous princes. Her body
was well-constructed, the middle portion being thin. She had green eyes, pink lips,
and a beautiful face which was enhanced by her scattered hair and by different kinds
of earrings. Around her feet she wore jeweled lockets. The bodily luster and beauty
of Rukmiëé appeared as if painted by an artist perfectly presenting beauty following
the description of great poets. The breast of Rukmiëé is described as being a little bit
high, indicating that she was just a youth not more than thirteen or fourteen years
old. Her beauty was specifically intended to attract the attention of Kåñëa. Although
the princes gazed upon her beautiful features, she was not at all proud. Her eyes
moved restlessly, and when she smiled very simply, like an innocent girl, her teeth
appeared just like lotus flowers. Expecting Kåñëa to take her away at any moment,
she proceeded very slowly towards her home. Her legs moved just like a full-grown
swan, and her ankle bells tinkled very mildly.
As already explained, the great chivalrous princes who assembled there were so
overwhelmed by Rukmiëé’s beauty that they almost became unconscious. Full of lust,
they hopelessly desired Rukmiëé’s hand, comparing their own beauty with hers.
Çrématé Rukmiëé, however, was not interested in any of them; in her heart she was
simply expecting Kåñëa to come and carry her away. As she was adjusting the
ornaments on her left-hand finger, she happened to look upon the princes and
suddenly saw that Kåñëa was present amongst them. Although Rukmiëé had never
before seen Kåñëa, she was always thinking of Him; thus she had no difficulty in
recognizing Him amongst the princely order. Kåñëa, not being concerned with the
other princes, immediately took the opportunity of placing Rukmiëé on His chariot,
marked by a flag bearing an image of Garuòa. He then proceeded slowly, without
fear, taking away Rukmiëé exactly as the lion takes the deer from the midst of the
jackals. Meanwhile Balaräma appeared on the scene with the soldiers of the Yadu
dynasty.
Jaräsandha, who had many times experienced defeat by Kåñëa, began to roar: “How is
this? Kåñëa is taking Rukmiëé away from us without any opposition! What is the use
in our being chivalrous fighters with arrows? My dear princes, just look! We are
losing our reputation by this action. He is just like the jackal taking away the booty
from the lion.”
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-second Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kåñëa
Kidnaps Rukmiëé.”
53 / Kåñëa Defeats All the Princes and Takes
Rukmiëé Home to Dvärakä
All the princes led by Jaräsandha became very angry at Kåñëa’s kidnapping Rukmiëé.
Struck by the beauty of Rukmiëé, they had fallen from the backs of their horses and
elephants, but now they began to stand up and properly arm themselves. Picking up
their bows and arrows, they began to chase Kåñëa on their chariots, horses and
elephants. To check their progress, the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty turned and faced
them. Thus terrible fighting between the two belligerent groups began. The princes
opposing Kåñëa were led by Jaräsandha and they were all very expert in fighting.
They began to shoot their arrows at the soldiers of Yadu just as a cloud splashes the
face of a mountain with torrents of rain. Gathered on the face of a mountain, a
cloud does not move very much, and therefore the force of rain is much more severe
on a mountain than it is anywhere else.
The opposing princes were determined to defeat Kåñëa and recapture Rukmiëé from
His custody, and they fought with Him as severely as possible. Rukmiëé, seated by
the side of Kåñëa, saw arrows raining from the opposing party onto the faces of the
soldiers of Yadu. In a fearful attitude, she began to look on the face of Kåñëa,
expressing her gratefulness that He had taken such a great risk for her sake only. Her
eyes moving, she appeared to be very sorry and Kåñëa could immediately understand
her mind. He encouraged her with these words: “My dear Rukmiëé, don’t worry.
Please rest assured that the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty will kill all the opposing
soldiers without delay.”
As Kåñëa was speaking with Rukmiëé, the commanders of the Yadu dynasty’s
soldiers, headed by Lord Balaräma, who is also known as Saìkarñaëa, as well as
Gadadhara, not tolerating the defiant attitude of the opposing soldiers, began to
strike their horses, elephants, and chariots with arrows. As the fighting progressed,
the princes and soldiers of the enemy camp began to fall from their horses, elephants
and chariots. Within a very short time, it was seen that millions of severed heads,
decorated with helmets and earrings, had fallen on the battlefield. The soldiers’
hands were cut up along with their bows and arrows and clubs; one head was piled
upon another, and one horse was piled upon another. All the infantry soldiers, as
well as their camels, elephants and asses, fell down with severed heads.
When the enemy, headed by Jaräsandha, found that they were gradually being
defeated by the soldiers of Kåñëa, they thought it unwise to risk losing in the battle
for the sake of Çiçupäla. Çiçupäla himself should have fought to rescue Rukmiëé from
the hands of Kåñëa, but when the soldiers saw that Çiçupäla was not competent
enough to fight with Kåñëa, they decided not to lose their strength unnecessarily;
therefore they ceased fighting and dispersed.
Some of the princes, as a matter of etiquette, appeared before Çiçupäla. They saw
that Çiçupäla was very much discouraged, like one who has lost his wife. His face
appeared to be dried up, and he had lost all his energy, and all the luster of his body
had disappeared. They began to address Çiçupäla thus: “My dear Çiçupäla, don’t be
discouraged in this way. You belong to the royal order and are the chief amongst the
fighters. There is no question of distress or happiness for a person like you because
neither of these conditions is everlasting. Take courage. Don’t be disappointed by
this temporary reverse. After all, we are not the final actor; as puppets dance in the
hands of a magician, we are all dancing by the will of the Supreme, and according to
His grace only we suffer distress or enjoy happiness, which therefore balance equally
in all circumstances.”
The whole catastrophe of the defeat was due to the envious nature of Rukmiëé’s
elder brother, Rukmé. Having seen his sister forcibly taken away by Kåñëa after he
had planned to marry her with Çiçupäla, Rukmé was frustrated. So he and Çiçupäla,
his friend and intended brother-in-law, returned to their respective homes. Rukmé,
very much agitated, was determined to personally teach Kåñëa a lesson. He called for
his own soldiers—a military phalanx consisting of several thousand elephants,
horses, chariots and infantry—and, equipped with this military strength, he began to
follow Kåñëa to Dvärakä. In order to show his prestige, Rukmé began to promise
before all the returning kings, “You could not help Çiçupäla marry my sister,
Rukmiëé, but I cannot allow Rukmiëé to be taken away by Kåñëa. I shall teach Him a
lesson. Now I am going there.” He presented himself as a big commander and vowed
before all the princes present, “Unless I kill Kåñëa in the fight and bring back my
sister from His clutches, I shall no more return to my capital city, Kuëòina. I make
this vow before you all, and you will see that I shall fulfill it.” After thus vibrating all
these boasting words, Rukmé immediately got on his chariot and told his chariot
driver to pursue Kåñëa. He said, “I want to fight with Him immediately. This
cowherd boy has become very proud because of His tricky way of fighting with the
kñatriyas, but today I shall teach Him a good lesson. Because He has the impudency
to kidnap my sister, I, with my sharpened arrows, shall teach Him very good lessons
indeed.” Thus this unintelligent man, Rukmé, ignorant of the extent of the strength
and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, began to voice impudent
threats.
In great stupidity he soon stood before Kåñëa, telling Him repeatedly, “Stop for a
minute and fight with me!” After saying this he drew his bow and directly shot three
forceful arrows against Kåñëa’s body. Then he condemned Kåñëa as the most
abominable descendant of the Yadu dynasty and asked Him to stand before him for a
minute so that he could teach Him a good lesson. “You are carrying away my sister
just like a crow stealing clarified butter meant for use in a sacrifice. You are simply
proud of Your military strength, but You cannot fight according to regulative
principles. You have stolen my sister; now I shall relieve You of Your false prestige.
You can keep my sister under Your possession only as long as I do not pinion You to
the ground for good with my arrows.”
Lord Kåñëa, after hearing all these crazy words from Rukmé, immediately shot an
arrow and severed the string of Rukmé’s bow, making him unable to use another
arrow. Rukmé immediately took another bow and shot another five arrows at Kåñëa.
Being attacked for the second time by Rukmé, Kåñëa again severed his bowstring.
Rukmé took a third bow, and Kåñëa again cut off its string. This time, in order to
teach Rukmé a lesson, Kåñëa personally shot six arrows at him, and then He shot
another eight arrows. Thus four horses were killed by four arrows, the chariot driver
was killed by another arrow, and the upper portion of Rukmé’s chariot, including the
flag, was chopped off with the remaining three arrows.
Having run out of arrows, Rukmé took the assistance of swords, shields, tridents,
lances and similar other weapons used for fighting hand-to-hand, but Kåñëa
immediately severed them all in the same way. Being repeatedly baffled in his
attempts, Rukmé simply took his sword and ran very swiftly toward Kåñëa, just as a
fly proceeds toward a fire. As soon as Rukmé reached Kåñëa, Kåñëa cut his weapon to
pieces. This time Kåñëa took out His sharp sword and was about to kill him
immediately, but Rukmé’s sister Rukmiëé, understanding that this time Kåñëa would
not excuse her brother, fell down at the lotus feet of Kåñëa and in a very grievous
tone, trembling with great fear, began to plead with her husband.
Rukmiëé first addressed Kåñëa as “Yogeçvara.” Yogeçvara means one who is possessed
of inconceivable opulence and energy. Kåñëa possesses inconceivable opulence and
energy, whereas Rukmiëé’s brother had only limited military potency. Kåñëa is
immeasurable, whereas her brother was measured in every step of his life. Therefore,
Rukmé was not even comparable to an insignificant insect before the unlimited
power of Kåñëa. She also addressed Kåñëa as the God of the gods. There are many
powerful demigods, such as Lord Brahmä, Lord Çiva, Indra, and Candra; Kåñëa is the
Lord of all these gods, whereas Rukmiëé’s brother was not only an ordinary human
being, but was, in fact, the lowest of all because he had no understanding of Kåñëa.
In other words, a human being who has no conception of the actual position of
Kåñëa is the lowest in human society. Rukmiëé also addressed Kåñëa as “Jagatpati,”
the master of the whole cosmic manifestation. In comparison, her brother was only
an ordinary prince.
In this way, Rukmiëé compared the position of Rukmé to that of Kåñëa and very
feelingly pleaded with her husband not to kill her brother just before the auspicious
time of her being united with Kåñëa, but to excuse him. In other words, she displayed
her real position as a woman. She was happy to get Kåñëa as her husband just at the
moment when her marriage to another was to be performed, but she did not want it
to be at the loss of her elder brother, who, after all, loved his young sister and wanted
to hand her over to one who was, according to his own calculations, a better man.
While Rukmiëé was praying to Kåñëa for the life of her brother, her whole body
trembled, and because of her anxiety, her face appeared to by dried up, her throat
became choked, and, due to her trembling, the ornaments on her body loosened and
fell scattered on the ground. Lord Kåñëa immediately became compassionate and
agreed not to kill the foolish Rukmé. But, at the same time, He wanted to give him
some light punishment, so He tied him up with a piece of cloth and snipped at his
moustache, beard and hair, keeping some spots here and there.
While Kåñëa was dealing with Rukmé in this way, the soldiers of the Yadu dynasty,
commanded by Balaräma Himself, broke the whole strength of Rukmé’s army just as
an elephant in a tank discards the feeble stem of a lotus flower. In other words, as an
elephant breaks the whole construction of a lotus flower while bathing in a reservoir
of water, so the military strength of the Yadus broke up Rukmé’s forces. Yet when the
commanders of the Yadu dynasty came back to see Kåñëa, they were all surprised to
see the condition of Rukmé. Lord Balaräma became especially compassionate for His
sister-in-law, who was newly married to His brother. In order to please Rukmiëé,
Balaräma personally untied Rukmé, and in order to further please her, Balaräma, as
the elder brother of Kåñëa, spoke some words of chastisement. “Kåñëa, Your action is
not at all satisfactory,” He said. “This is an abomination very much contrary to our
family tradition! To cut someone’s hair and shave his moustache and beard is almost
comparable to killing him. Whatever Rukmé might have been, he is now our brotherin-
law, a relative of our family, and You should not have put him in such a
condition.”
After this, in order to pacify her, Lord Balaräma said to Rukmiëé, “You should not be
sorry because your brother has been made very odd-looking. Everyone suffers or
enjoys the results of his own actions.” Lord Balaräma wanted to impress upon
Rukmiëé that she should not have been sorry for the consequences suffered by her
brother due to his actions. There was no need of being too affectionate toward such
a brother. Lord Balaräma again turned toward Kåñëa and said, “My dear Kåñëa, a
relative, even though he commits such a blunder and deserves to be killed, should be
excused. For when such a relative is conscious of his own fault, that consciousness
itself is like death. Therefore, there is no need in killing him.” He again turned
toward Rukmiëé and informed her that the current duty of the kñatriya in the
human society is so fixed that, according to the principles of fighting, one’s own
brother may become an enemy on the opposite side. A kñatriya does not hesitate to
kill his own brother. In other words, Lord Balaräma wanted to instruct Rukmiëé that
Rukmé and Kåñëa were right in not showing mercy to each other in the fighting,
despite the family consideration that they happened to be brothers-in-law. Çré
Balaräma continued to inform Rukmiëé that kñatriyas are typical emblems of the
materialistic way of life; they become puffed-up whenever there is a question of
material acquisition. Therefore, when there is a fight between two belligerent
kñatriyas on account of kingdom, land, wealth, women, prestige or power, they try to
put one another into the most abominable condition. Balaräma instructed Rukmiëé
that her affection toward her brother Rukmé, who had created enmity with so many
persons, was a perverse consideration befitting an ordinary materialistic person. Her
brother’s character was not at all adorable, considering his treatment toward other
friends, and yet Rukmiëé, as an ordinary woman, was so affectionate toward him. He
was not fit to be her brother, and still Rukmiëé was lenient toward him.
“Besides that,” Balaräma continued, “the consideration that a person is neutral or is
one’s friend or enemy is generally made by persons who are in the bodily concept of
life. Such foolish persons become bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme
Lord. The spirit soul is of the same pure quality in any embodiment of matter, but
those who are not sufficiently intelligent see only the bodily differentiations of
animals and men, literates and illiterates, rich and poor, and so on, which cover the
pure spirit soul. Such differentiation, observed purely on the basis of the body, is
exactly like differentiation between fires in terms of the different types of fuel they
consume. Whatever the size and shape of the fuel, there is no such variety of size and
shape of the fire which comes out. Similarly, in the sky there are no differences in
size or shape.”
In this way Balaräma appeased them by His moral and ethical instruction. He stated
further: “This body is part of the material manifestation. The living entity or spirit
soul, being in contact with matter, is transmigrating, due to illusory enjoyment, from
one body to another, and that is known as material existence. This contact of the
living entity with the material manifestation has neither integration nor
disintegration. My dear chaste sister-in-law, the spirit soul is, of course, the cause of
this material body, as much as the sun is the cause of sunlight, eyesight and the forms
of material manifestation.” The example of the sunshine and the material
manifestation is very appropriate in the matter of understanding the living entity’s
contact with this material world. In the morning, there is sun rise, and the heat and
light expand gradually throughout the whole day. The sun is the cause of all material
production and shapes and forms; it is due to the sun that integration and
disintegration of material elements take place. But as soon as the sun is set, the
whole manifestation is no longer connected to the sun, which has passed from one
place to another. When the sun passes from the eastern to the western hemisphere,
the result of interaction due to the sunshine in the eastern hemisphere remains, but
the sunshine itself is visible again on the western hemisphere. Similarly, the living
entity accepts or produces different bodies and different bodily relationships in a
particular circumstance, but as soon as he gives up the present body and accepts
another, he has nothing to do with the former body. Similarly, the living entity has
nothing to do with the next body which he accepts. He is always free from the
contact of this bodily contamination. Therefore, the conclusion is that the
appearance and disappearance of the body have nothing to do with the living entity,
as much as the waxing and waning of the moon have nothing to do with the moon.
When there is waxing of the moon, we falsely think that the moon is developing,
and when there is waning of the moon we think that the moon is decreasing.
Factually the moon, as it is, is always the same; it has nothing to do with such visible
waxing and waning activities.
“Consciousness of material existence can be compared to sleeping and dreaming.
When a man sleeps, he dreams of many nonfactual happenings, and as a result of
dreaming he becomes subjected to different kinds of distress and happiness.
Similarly, when person is in the dreaming condition of material consciousness, he
suffers the effects of accepting a body and giving it up again in material existence.
Opposite to this material consciousness is Kåñëa consciousness. In other words, when
a man is elevated to the platform of Kåñëa consciousness he becomes free from this
false conception of life.”
In this way, Çré Balaräma instructed them in spiritual knowledge. He addressed His
sister-in-law thus: “Sweet, smiling Rukmiëé, do not be aggrieved by false motives
caused by ignorance. Due to false notions only one becomes unhappy, but this
unhappiness is immediately removed by discussing the philosophy of actual life. Be
happy on that platform only.”
After hearing such enlightening instruction from Çré Balaräma, Rukmiëé
immediately became pacified and happy and adjusted her mental condition, which
was very much afflicted by seeing the degraded position of her brother, Rukmé. As
far as Rukmé was concerned, neither was his promise fulfilled nor his mission
successful. He had come from home with his soldiers and military phalanx to defeat
Kåñëa and release his sister, but on the contrary, he lost all his soldiers and military
strength. He was personally much degraded, and in that condition he was very sorry;
but by the grace of the Lord he could continue his life to the fixed destination.
Because he was a kñatriya, he could remember his promise that he would not return
to his capital city, Kuëòina, without killing Kåñëa and releasing his sister, which he
had failed to do; therefore, he decided in anger not to return to his capital city, and
he constructed a small cottage in the village known as Bhojakaöa and began to reside
there for the rest of his life.
After defeating all the opposing elements and forcibly carrying away Rukmiëé, Kåñëa
brought her to His capital city, Dvärakä, and then married her according to the
Vedic ritualistic principle. After this marriage, Kåñëa became the King of the Yadus
at Dvärakä. On the occasion of His marriage with Rukmiëé, all the inhabitants were
happy, and in every house there were great ceremonies. The inhabitants of Dvärakä
City became so pleased that they dressed themselves with the nicest possible
ornaments and garments, and they went to present gifts according to their means to
the newly married couple, Kåñëa and Rukmiëé. All the houses of Yadupuré (Dvärakä)
were decorated with flags, festoons and flowers. Each and every house had an extra
gate specifically prepared for this occasion, and on both sides of the gate there were
big water jugs filled with water. The whole city was flavored by the burning of high
quality incense, and at night there was illumination by thousands of lamps,
decorating each and every building.
The entire city appeared jubilant on the occasion of Lord Kåñëa’s marriage with
Rukmiëé. Everywhere in the city there was profuse decorations of banana trees and
betel nut trees. These two trees are considered very auspicious in happy ceremonies.
At the same time there was an assembly of many elephants, who carried the
respective kings of different friendly kingdoms. It is the habit of the elephant that
whenever he sees some small plants and trees, out of his sportive frivolous nature, he
uproots the trees and throws them hither and thither. The elephants assembled on
this occasion also scattered the banana and betel nut trees, but in spite of such
intoxicated action, the whole city, with the trees thrown here and there, looked very
nice.
The friendly kings of the Kurus and the Päëòavas were represented by Dhåtaräñöra,
the five Päëòu brothers, King Drupada, King Santardana, as well as Rukmiëé’s
father, Bhéñmaka. Because of Kåñëa’s kidnapping Rukmiëé, there was initially some
misunderstanding between the two families, but Bhéñmaka, King of Vidarbha, being
approached by Çré Balaräma and persuaded by many saintly persons, was induced to
participate in the marriage ceremony of Kåñëa and Rukmiëé. Although the
incidence of Kåñëa’s kidnapping was not a very happy occurrence in the kingdom of
Vidarbha, kidnapping was not an unusual affair among the kñatriyas. Kidnapping
was, in fact, current in almost all marriages. Anyway, King Bhéñmaka was from the
very beginning inclined to hand over his beautiful daughter to Kåñëa. In one way or
another his purpose had been served, and so he was pleased to join the marriage
ceremony, even though his eldest son was degraded in the fight. It is mentioned in
the Padma Puräëa that Mahäräja Nanda and the cowherd boys of Våndävana joined
the marriage ceremony. Kings from the kingdoms of Kuru, Såïjaya, Kekaya,
Vidarbha and Kunti came to Dvärakä on this occasion with all their royal
paraphernalia.
The story of Rukmiëé’s being kidnapped by Kåñëa was poeticized, and the
professional readers recited it everywhere. All the assembled kings and, especially,
their daughters were struck with wonder and became very pleased upon hearing the
chivalrous activities of Kåñëa. In this way, all visitors as well as the inhabitants of
Dvärakä City became joyful seeing Kåñëa and Rukmiëé together. In other words, the
Supreme Lord, the maintainer of everyone, and the goddess of fortune were united,
and all the people felt extremely jubilant.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-third Chapter of Kåñëa, “Kåñëa
Defeats all the Princes and Takes Rukmiëé Home to Dvärakä.”
54 / Pradyumna Born to Kåñëa and Rukmiëé
It is said that Cupid, who is directly part and parcel of Lord Väsudeva and who was
formerly burned to ashes by the anger of Lord Çiva, took birth in the womb of
Rukmiëé begotten by Kåñëa. This is Kämadeva, a demigod of the heavenly planets
especially capable of inducing lusty desires. The Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Kåñëa, has many grades of parts and parcels, but the quadruple expansions of Kåñëa
—Vasudeva, Saìkarñaëa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha—are directly in the Viñëu
category. Käma, or the Cupid demigod, who later on took his birth in the womb of
Rukmiëé, was also named Pradyumna, but he cannot be the Pradyumna of the Viñëu
category. He belongs to the category of jéva-tattva, but for special power in the
category of demigods, he was a part and parcel of the super prowess of Pradyumna.
That is the verdict of the Gosvämés. Therefore, when Cupid was burned into ashes
by the anger of Lord Çiva, he merged into the body of Vasudeva, and in order to get
his body again, he was begotten by Lord Kåñëa Himself; he was directly released from
his body in the womb of Rukmiëé and was born as the son of Kåñëa, celebrated by
the name Pradyumna. Because he was begotten by Lord Kåñëa directly, his qualities
were most similar to those of Kåñëa.
There was a demon of the name Çambara who was destined to be killed by this
Pradyumna. The Çambara demon knew of his destiny, and as soon as he learned that
Pradyumna was born, he took the shape of a woman and kidnapped the baby from
the maternity home less than ten days after his birth. The demon took him and
threw him directly into the sea. But, as it is said, “Whoever is protected by Kåñëa, no
one can kill; and whoever is destined to be killed by Kåñëa, no one can protect.”
When Pradyumna was thrown into the sea, a big fish immediately swallowed him.
Later on this fish was caught by the net of a fisherman, and the fish was later on sold
to the Çambara demon. In the kitchen of the demon there was a maidservant whose
name was Mäyävaté. This woman had formerly been the wife of Cupid, and had been
called Rati. When the fish was presented to the demon Çambara, it was taken charge
of by his cook, who was to make it into a palatable fish preparation. Demons and the
räkñasas are accustomed to eat meat, fish and similar non-vegetarian foods. Similarly,
other demons, like Rävaëa, Kaàsa and Hiraëyakaçipu, although born of brähmaëa
and kñatriya fathers, used to take meat and flesh without discrimination. This
practice is still prevalent in India, and those who are meat and fish eaters are
generally called demons and räkñasas.
When the cook was cutting the fish, he found a nice baby within the belly of the
fish, and he immediately presented him to the charge of Mäyävaté, who was an
assistant in the kitchen affairs. This woman was surprised to see how such a nice
baby could remain within the belly of a fish, and the situation perplexed her. The
great sage Närada then appeared and explained to her about the birth of Pradyumna,
how the baby had been taken away by Çambara and later on thrown into the sea, and
so on. In this way the whole story was disclosed to Mäyävaté, who had formerly been
Rati, the wife of Cupid. Mäyävaté knew that she had previously been the wife of
Cupid; after her husband was burnt into ashes by the wrath of Lord Çiva, she was
always expecting him to come back again in the material form. This woman was
engaged for cooking rice and dahl in the kitchen, but when she got this nice baby
and understood that he was Cupid, her own husband, she naturally took charge of
him and with great affection began to bathe him. Miraculously, the baby very swiftly
grew up, and within a very short period he became a very beautiful young man. His
eyes were just like the petals of lotus flowers, his arms were very long, down to the
knees, and any woman who happened to see him became captivated by his bodily
beauty.
Mäyävaté could understand that her former husband, Cupid, born as Pradyumna,
had grown into such a nice young man, and she also gradually became captivated
and lusty. She was smiling before him with a feminine attractiveness, expressing her
desire for sexual unity. He therefore inquired from her, “How is it possible that first
of all you were affectionate like a mother, and now you are expressing the symptoms
of a lusty woman? What is the reason for such a change?” On hearing this statement
from Pradyumna, the woman, Rati, replied, “My dear sir, you are the son of Lord
Kåñëa. Before you were ten days old, you were stolen by the Çambara demon and
later on thrown into the water and swallowed up by a fish. In this way you have
come under my care, but actually, in your former life as Cupid, I was your wife;
therefore, my manifestation of conjugal symptoms is not at all incompatible.
Çambara wanted to kill you, and he is endowed with various kinds of mystic powers.
Therefore, before he again attempts to kill you, please kill him as soon as possible
with your divine power. Since you were stolen by Çambara, your mother, Rukmiëédevi,
has been in a very grievous condition, like a cuckoo bird who has lost her
babies. She is very affectionate toward you, and since you have been taken away
from her, she has been living like a cow aggrieved over the loss of its calf.”
Mäyävaté had mystic knowledge of supernatural power. Supernatural powers are
generally known as mäyä, and to supersede all such supernatural power there is
another supernatural power which is called mahämäyä. Mäyävaté had the knowledge
of the mystic power of mahämäyä, and she delivered to Pradyumna this specific
energetic power in order to defeat the mystic powers of the Çambara demon. Thus
being empowered by his wife, Pradyumna immediately went before Çambara and
challenged him to fight. Pradyumna began to address him in very strong language, so
that his temper might be agitated and he would be moved to fight. At Pradyumna’s
words, the demon Çambara, being insulted, felt just like a snake feels after being
struck by one’s leg. A serpent cannot tolerate being kicked by another animal or by a
man, and he immediately bites the opponent.
Çambara felt the words of Pradyumna as if they were a kick. He immediately took his
club in his hand and appeared before Pradyumna to fight. In great anger, he began to
beat Pradyumna with his club, just as a thunderbolt beats a mountain. The demon
was also groaning and making a noise like a thundering cloud. Pradyumna protected
himself with his own club, and eventually he struck the demon very severely. In this
way, the fighting between Çambaräsura and Pradyumna began very seriously.
But Çambaräsura knew the art of mystic powers and could raise himself in the sky
and fight from outer space. There is another demon of the name Maya, and
Çambaräsura learned many mystic powers from him. He thus raised himself high in
the sky and began to threw various types of nuclear weapons at the body of
Pradyumna. In order to combat the mystic powers of Çambaräsura, Pradyumna
remembered another mystic power, known as mahävidyä, which was different from
the black mystic power. The mahävidyä mystic power is based on the quality of
goodness. Understanding that his enemy was formidable, Çambara took assistance
from various kinds of demonic mystic powers belonging to the Guhyakas, the
Gandharvas, the Piçäcas, the snakes and the Räkñasas. But although the demon
exhibited his mystic powers and took shelter of supernatural strength, Pradyumna
was able to counteract his strength and powers by the superior power of mahävidyä.
When Çambaräsura was defeated in every respect, Pradyumna then took his
sharpened sword and immediately cut off the demon’s head, which was decorated
with a helmet and with valuable jewels. When Pradyumna thus killed the demon, all
the demigods in the higher planetary systems began to shower flowers on him.
Pradyumna’s wife, Mäyävaté, could travel in outer space, and therefore they directly
reached his father’s capital, Dvärakä, by the airways. They passed above the palace of
Lord Kåñëa and began to come down as a cloud comes down with lightning. The
inner section of a palace is known as antaùpura (private apartments). Pradyumna
and Mäyävaté could see that there were many women there, and they sat down
among them. When the women saw Pradyumna, dressed in bluish garments, with
very long arms, curling hair, beautiful eyes, a smiling reddish face, jewelry and
ornaments, they first of all could not recognize him as Pradyumna, a personality
different from Kåñëa. They all felt themselves to be very much blessed by the sudden
presence of Kåñëa, and they wanted to hide in a different corner of the palace.
When the women saw, however, that all the characteristics of Kåñëa were not
present in the personality of Pradyumna, out of curiosity they came back again to see
him and his wife, Mäyävaté. All of them were conjecturing as to who he was, for he
was so beautiful. Among the women was Rukmiëédevé, who was equally beautiful,
with her lotus-like eyes. Seeing Pradyumna, she naturally remembered her own son,
and milk began to flow from her breast out of motherly affection. She then began to
wonder, “Who is this beautiful young boy? He appears to be the most beautiful
person. Who is the fortunate young woman able to give birth to this nice boy in her
womb and become his mother? And who is that young woman who has accompanied
him? How have they met? Remembering my own son, who was stolen even from the
maternity home, I can only guess that if he is living somewhere, he might have
grown by this time to be like this boy.” Simply by intuition, Rukmiëé could
understand that Pradyumna was her own lost son. She could also observe that
Pradyumna resembled Lord Kåñëa in every respect. She was struck with wonder as to
how he acquired all the symptoms of Kåñëa. She therefore began to think more
confidently that the boy must be her own grown-up son because she felt much
affection for him, and, as an auspicious sign, her left arm was trembling.
At that very moment, Lord Kåñëa, along with His father and mother, Devaké and
Vasudeva, appeared on the scene. Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, could
understand everything, yet in that situation He remained silent. However, by the
desire of Lord Çré Kåñëa, the great sage Närada also appeared on the scene, and he
began to disclose all the incidents—how Pradyumna had been stolen from the
maternity home and how he had grown up and had come there with his wife
Mäyävaté, who formerly had been Rati, the wife of Cupid. When everyone was
informed of the mysterious disappearance of Pradyumna and how he had grown up,
they all became struck with wonder because they had gotten back their dead son
after they were almost hopeless of his return. When they understood that it was
Pradyumna who was present, they began to receive him with great delight. One after
another, all of the members of the family—Devaké, Vasudeva, Lord Çré Kåñëa, Lord
Balaräma, and Rukmiëé and all the women of the family—began to embrace both
Pradyumna and his wife Mäyävaté. When the news of Pradyumna’s return was spread
all over the city of Dvärakä, all the astonished citizens began to come with great
anxiety to see the lost Pradyumna. They began to say, “The dead son has come back.
What can be more pleasing than this?”
Çréla Çukadeva Gosvämé has explained that, in the beginning, all the residents of the
palace, who were all mothers and stepmothers of Pradyumna, mistook him to be
Kåñëa and were all bashful, infected by the desire for conjugal love. The explanation
is that Pradyumna’s personal appearance is exactly like Kåñëa’s, and he was factually
Cupid himself. There was no cause of astonishment, therefore, when the mothers of
Pradyumna and other women mistook him in that way. It is clear from the statement
that Pradyumna’s bodily characteristics were so similar to Kåñëa’s that he was
mistaken to be Kåñëa even by his mother.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Fifty-fourth Chapter of Kåñëa,
“Pradyumna Born to Kåñëa and Rukmiëé.”
Thus ends Volume One of Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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